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Thf- PiNKEiiTON Dktfftivk Sfriks. Issued Quarter!)'. 

$1.00 per annum. No. 2. January, 1892. 


Uy Sul)scription, 


THE 

Gambler s wax finger. .. 

AND OTHER 

STARTLING DETECTIVE EXPERIENCES 
ILLUSTRATED By Geo. S. JJeWatters 

Late Member of the American Secret Service 



CHICAGO: 

LAIRD & LEE, PUBLISHERS. 
1892 







i»-e 






I 


The Library of Choice Fiction. 


No other similar Series contains such a proportion of Masterpieces 
by Famous Writers from America, Fngland, France, Germany, 
etc. It contains EVERY ONE of the Thrilling Stories of 
Trarel and Adventure by this popular Writer, 
WII^WAM M. THOMFS. 


A GOLD HUNTER’S ADVENTURES IN AUSTRALIA. 

An exciting story of the time when the thirst for gold raged 
fiercely at the Antipodes. 564 pages ; 40 full-page illustrations. 

A WHALEMAN’S ADVENTURES ON SEA AND LAND. 

A vivid story of life on a whaler on the Pacific Ocean. 444 pages 
and 36 full-page illustrations. 

THE BUSHRANGERS ; A Yankee’s Adventures during a Sec* 
ond Trip to Australia, 

Replete with exciting exploits among the most lawless class of 
men. 480 pages ; 16 full-page illustrations. 

A SLAVER’S ADVENTURES ON SEA AND LAND. 

A thrilling recital of an adventurous life on the deck of a tJaver. 
405 pages and 41 full-page illustrations. 

RUNNING THE BLOCKADE. 

A splendid narrative of the life of a Union ofiSceron secret duty on 
board a Rebel blockade runner. 474 pages ; eight full-page illustra- 
tions. 

THE GOLD HUNTERS IN EUROPE; or, The Dead Alive. 

A constant succession of perilous adventures are herein related. 
384 pages ; 34 full-page illustrations. 

THE BELLE OF AUSTRALIA; oir, Who Am I ? 

Love and adventure are splendidly treated in this well conceived 
story. 325 pages; fully illustrated. 

ON LAND AND SEA; or, California in the Years 1843, ’44 
and ’45. 

A graphic description of country, people and events in a hiost in- 
teresting period. 351 pages. Never issued yet in paper covers. 

LEWEY AND I; or, A Sailor Boy’s Wanderings. 

A sequel to “Land and Sea,” and the latest work of this famous 
author. Never issued yet in paper covers. 407 pages. 


Readers of good literature are advised to procure Laird 8c Lee’s 
Publications, as they are printed in large type on excellent paper, pro- 
fusely illustrated, and bound in solid and attractive colors. 

SOLD BY ALL NEWSDEALERS AND UPON ALL TRAINS, OR SUPPLIftP' 
BY THE PUBLISHERS. 

AIRD A LEE, Chicago. 


The Library of Choice Fiction. 

The Rtish Contiiittes for the Complete Works of this great popular 

Writer of High-Class Detective Stories, 

I/AWRRNCB "L, l^TNCH, of the U. 8. Secret Service.y 



SHADOWED BY THREE. 

The famous book which made its author’s reputation known the 
world over. 670 pages; 66 fall-page engravings. 

A SLENDER CLUE. 

Entirely new. Just out of the author’s hands. Illustrated and 
with a specially desigrned cover, in colors. A modem story of ex- 
citing detective exploits. The equal of “Shadowed byiThree.” 

HOINA; or, Against the Mighty. 

Now published for the first time. 620 pages with sixteen fall 
page illustrations by Henry Mayer. Worthy of the great reputation 
of the author. Highly spoken of by the press, all over the 
country. 

MADELINE PAYNE, the Detectire’s Danghter. 

There is a great deal of true emotional feeling in this captivating 
book. 453 pages ; 45 full-page engravings. 

VHE LOST WITNESS; or, The Mystery of Leah Paget 

^ The incidents of this strong story are brought out with a great 

^ power of realization. 657 pages ; 16 full-page engravings, 

DANGEROUS GROUND ; or, The Rival Detectives. 

A thrilling story of 426 pages, with 45 full-page illustrations. 

fascinating plot handled in a masterly fashion — ^not a dull page or 
line in it.’* 

OCT OF A LABTBINTH. 

471 pages with 36 full-page illustrations. The Post writes: 
•‘The man who wrote ‘Dangerous Ground’ could not write a tame 
book if he tried !’’ 

THE DIAMOND COTERIE. 

657 pages and 47 full-page illustrations. A fully organized gang 
of malefactors with a cunning ex-detective at is head, are “run 
down’’ by an officer of uncommon skill and undaunted bravery. 
Ready October, 1891. ^ 

A MOUNTAIN MYSTERY ; or, The Outlaws of the Rockies. 

600 pages with 36 full-page illustrations. The tale unfolds itself 
among the reckless adventurers who mled the Rocky Mountains be- 
fore the creation of the Pacific R. R. Ready November, 1891. ' 


Readers of good literature are advised to procure baird & I/ee*8 
Publications, as they are printed in large type on excellent paper, pro- 
fusely illustrated, and bound in solid and attractive covers. 

SOLD BY ALL NEWSDEALERS AND UPON ALL TRAINS, OR SUPPUED 
BY THE PUBLISHERS, 

LAIRD ^ LEE, Chigago. 


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FINGER DISCOVERED. 

















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THE 


GAMBLER’S WAX FINGER 


AND 


OTHER STASTlIHfi DETECTIYE EXPEEIEHCES. 


CULLED FKOM THE PKIVATE RECOKDS 
OF GOVERNMENT OFFICERS IN 


EUROPE AND AMERICA, 


BY 



GEOEGE S. McWATTEES, 

LATE MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN SECRET SER F/CE. 


[COPYRIGHT 1891 


, BY LAIRD & LEE.]'' ' Vr '•.i 


'AN 16 1892. A //;;m 

. 2 0 . M 


WITH 13 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS. 


'H 




CHICAGO. 

LAIRD & LEE, Publishers. 


The Library of Choice Fiction. 



CHOXCB IN RBADINO KATTBR. 

CHOZCB IN IXrlfUSTRATIOm. 

Choice in every thins: that Constltutea A* x Booka. 

MADEMOISELLE de MAUPIN. 

By Th6ophile Gautier, It is considered by every critic in the 
vrorldT to be the very finest ronjance of the century. 413 pages ; 16 
illustrations from the original etchings by Toudouzc. 

CAMILLE. 

By Alexandre Dumas, fils. This world-famed hoolf. is illustrated 
with 16 half-tone engravings from original Prencil etchings. Ex- 
quisite cover in colors. 

A. D. 800(1. 

By Dieut. Alvarado M. Fuller. U. A. 412 pages ; 16 half-tone 
illustrations on enameled pai)et. ** A fascinating ^rrative df what 
the near future has in seserve for our descendants.*^ 

NOTRE C<EUR. 

By Guy de Maupassant, th© celebrated French novelist^ Trans- 
lated by Alexina Doranger. With 12 photo-gravures on enameled 
paper, including the author's portrait. An admirable Parisian story. 

PIERRE ET JEAN» (Peter and John.) 

By Guy de Maupassant, author of “ Bel-Aqii,^' A striking novel 
of deep pathos, illustrated with eight half-tones on enameled paper. 

THE BICH MAN’S FOOE. 

By Robert C. Givins. An American story of Startlfpg adventurer 
430 pages, with 17 photo-gravures on enameled pape#. 

THE CHOUANS. 

By Honor6 de BalZac, the head and chief of modem fiction. New 
translation by George Saintsbu^; with 100 wood engravings by 
Leveilie, from sketches by Julian he Kant. 

SUCH IS LIFE. 

By Albert Delpit, author of "Her Sister’s Rival,” Illustrated with 
sixteen pen drawings. Albert Delpit is a Douisiana-bom Creole who 
ranks among the best modem French writers. 

AN UNCONSCIOUS CRIME. 

By Dr. N. T. Oliver, author of the "King pf Gold.” With six- 
teen full-page illustrations. The press, all over the country, has 
spoken very highly of this last work frpm the pen of this talented 
writer. 

A CHRONICLE OF THE REIGN OF CHARLES IX. 

' By Prosper M6rim6e, translated by George SaintsPury, Illus- 
trated with 100 engravings on wood from drawings by Toudouze. 


Readers of good literature are advised to procure I.alrd & l^ee*ii 
Publications, as they are printed in large type on excellent paper, pro- 
fusely illustrated, and bound in solid and attractive covers. 

SOLD BY ALL NEWSDEALERS AND UPON ALL TRAINS, OR SUPPLIED 
BY THE PUBLISHERS. 

LA/RD LEE. OhiOAQO. 

/ 




CONTENTS, 


5 


THE GAMBLER’S WAX FINGER. 

CHARLES LEGATE — A FORGER — STUDYING HIM UP — FIFTY THOTJ- 
,SAND DOLLARS HIS “ PRIZE ” — DESCRIPTION OP LEGATE — NO TWO 
PERSONS EVER AGREE IN DESCRIBING ANOTHER — A MARK HIT UPON 

— START FOR ST. LOUIS — MUSINGS — CURIOUS INCIDENTS OP MY 

JOURNEY — A GENEALOGICAL “ DODGE ” — ON LEGATE’s TRACK AT 
LAST — ST. LOUIS REACHED — OF MY STAY THERE — LEAVE FOR NEW 
ORLEANS PER STEAMER — A GENIAL CROWD OF MEN AND WOMEN ON 
BOARD — CHARACTERISTICS OF A MISSISSIPPI “ VOYAGE ” — NAPO- 
LEON, ARKANSAS — SOME CHARACTERS COME ON BOARD THERE A 

GAMBLING SCENE ON BOARD — ONE JACOBS TAKES A PART — A PRI- 
VATE CONFERENCE WITH JACOBS’S NEGRO SERVANT — A TERRIFIC 
FIGHT ON BOARD AMONG THE GAMBLERS — JACOBS SET UPON, AND 
MAKES A BRAVE DEFENCE — HOW I DISCOVERED “ JACOBS ” TO BE 
PROBABLY LEGATE, IN THE MELEE — HE IS BADLY BRUISED — HIS LIFE 
DESPAIRED OF — WE ARRIVE IN NEW ORLEANS — JACOBS’s IDENTI- 
FICATION AS LEGATE — LEGATE PROVES TO BE VERY RICH — CURIOUS 
VISIT TO AN ITALIAN ARTIST’S STUDIO — A NOVEL MEDICINE ADMINIS- 
TERED TO SIGNORE CANCEMI — HE GETS WELL AT ONCE. . . .9 

LOTTERY TICKET, Xo. 1710. 

A DIGNIFIED REAL ESTATE HOLDER, VERY WEALTHY, LOSES SEVEN THOU- 
SAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE DOLLARS — obR FIRST COUN- 
CIL AT THE HOWARD HOUSE — VISIT TO HIS HOUSE TO EXAMINE HIS 
SAFE AND SERVANTS — A LOTTERY TICKET, NO. 1710, FOUND IN THE 
SAFE — HOW CAME THIS MYSTERIOUS PAPER THERE.? — CONCLUSIONS 
THEREON — VISIT TO BALTIMORE, AND PLANS LAID IN CONJUNCTION 
WITH THE LOTTERY AGENT TO CATCH THE THIEF — THE TICKET 
“ DRAWS ” — THE NEW YORK AGENCY “ MANAGED ” — TRAP TO IDEN- 
TIFY THE THIEF — THE SECURITY AND “ SOLITUDE ” OP A GREAT CITY 

— A NEW YORK BANKER — MR. LATIMER VISITS A GAMBLING HOUSE 
IN DISGUISE — IDENTIFIES THE SUSPECTED YOUNG MAN — THE AGENT 
AT BALTIMORE WAXES GLEEFUL — HIS PLAN OP OPERATIONS OVER- 
RULED — MEETING OP “interested PARTIES” AT THE OFFICE IN 
BALTIMORE — A LITTLE GAME PLAYED UPON THE NEW YORK AGENT — 

MR. WORDEN, THE THIEF, IDENTIFIES THE TICKET, AND FALLS INTO 
THE TRAP OF A PRE-ARRANGED “ DRAFT ” — DISCLOSES SOME OP 
THE IDENTICAL MONEY STOLEN — WE ARREST HIM — EXCITINO 
SCRAMBLE — THE MONEY RECOVERED — WORDEN’s AFTER LIFE. . 27 

PAYNE AND THE COUNTERFEITERS. 

AN IDLE TIME — A CALL FROM MY OLD “ CHIEF ” — THE CASE IN HAND 
OUTLINED — I DISCOVER AN OLD ENEMY IN THE LIST OP COUNTER- 
FEITERS, AND LAY MY PLANS — TAKE BOARD IN NINETEENTH STREET, 
AND OPEN A LAW OFFICE IN JAUNCEY COURT — MAKE THE ACQUAINT- 
ANCE OF MRS. PAYNE, LEWELLYN’S MOTHER, AND FINALLY GET AC- 
QUAINTED WITH HIM — HE VISITS MY LAW OFFICE — I AM INGRATI- 
ATED IN HIS FAVOR — I TRACK HIM INTO MY ENEMY’s COMPANY, AND 
FEEL SURE OF SUCCESS — LEWELLYN FINALLY CONFESSES TO ME HIS 
TERRIBLE SITUATION — CERTAIN PLANS LAID — I MAKE “ COLLINS’S ” 
ACQUAINTANCE — VISIT A GAMBLING SALOON WITH HIM — A HEAVY 
WAGER — $15,000 AT HAZARD, PAYNE’S ALL — THE COUNTERFEITING 
GAMBLERS CAUGHT TOGETHER — SEVERE STRUGGLE — PAYNE SAVED 


6 


CONTENTS. 


AT LAST, AND HIS MONEY TOO — A REFORMED SON AND A HAPPY 
MOTHER — TWO “ BIRDS” SENT TO THE PENITENTIARY. . . 49 

THE GENEALOGICAL SWINDLERS. 

PRIDE OF ANCESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES — IT IS SOMETIMES MORE 
PROFITABLE TO OTHERS THAN TO THOSE WHO INDULGE IT — 
“property in chancery” — A WESTERN MERCHANT, HIS STORY, 

AND HOW HE TOLD IT — A FAMILY MEETING AT NEW HAVEN, AND 
W^HAT A MEMBER LEARNED THERE — THE GREAT “LORD, KING, 

& GRAHAM ” SWINDLE — THE WAY IN WHICH THE FRAUD WAS 
ACCOMPLISHED — A CUNNING LETTER PROM “ WILLIS KING,” OF THE 
FIRM OF LORD, KING, & GRAHAM,” TO ONE OP HIS RELATIVES — THE 
CORRESPONDENCE OF THIS NOTED FIRM — THE SEARCH — THE TRAP 
LAID — THE SHARPERS CAUGHT, AND FOUND TO BE EDUCATED 
YOUNG MEN OF THE HIGHEST SOCIAL STATUS — THEY" ARE MADE TO 
DISGORGE — A PARADOX, WITH A MORAL IN IT 72 

HATTIE NEWBERRY", THE VERMONT BEAUTY. 

“ SOCIETY, FOR THE MOST PART, CREATES THE CRIMES WHICH IT 
PUNISHES ” — A BEAUTIFUL GIRL ON THE CARS FROM RUTLAND, VER- 
MONT, ON THE YVAY TO BELLOWS* FALLS, BESET BY NEW YORK 
ROGUES — A DETECTIVE RECOGNIZES IN HER THE FORMER PLAYMATE 
OF HIS OWN DAUGHTER — HE ENCOUNTERS THE ROGUES AT BELLOWS* 
FALLS, AND KNOCKS ONE OF THEM DOYVN IN THE LADIES* ROOM — 
THEY" ALL TAKE THE NEXT TRAIN, AND MOY"B SOUTHYVARD, ON THEIR 
YVAY TO NEYV YORK — INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY" — A THIRD VIL- 
lAIN GETS ABOARD AT HARTFORD, CONN. — YVHY HATTIE YVAS GOING 
TO NEYV YORK — AN OLD TALE — THE DETECTIY"E GIY"ES HATTIE 
MUCH GOOD ADVICE — A SKILFUL MANCEUVRE, ON ARRIVING IN NEYV 
YORK, TO PUT THE ROGUES OFF THE TRACK — A PAINFUL DISCOY"ERY 
AT LAST — A DEEP, DEYILISH PLOT OF THE VILLAINS DRIY"ES HATTIE 
TO DESPAIR, AND SHE IS RESCUED FROM A SUICIDE’S GRAVE — THE 
ROGUES PROY"E TO BE THE MOST HEARTLESS OP VILLAINS, AND ARE 
CAUGHT, AND DULY PUNISHED — HATTIE RETURNS EY"ENTUALLY TO 
Y"ERMONT, AFTER HAVING MARRIED HER OLD LOY"ER — THIS TALE IS 
ONE OF THE SADDEST, AS YVELL AS THE MOST INTERESTING OF EXPE- 
RIENCES, THROUGHOUT 88 

ABOUT BOGUS LOTTERIES. 

HOW THEY ARE “ GOT UP ** — THEIR MODE OF OPERATIONS DETAILED 

— HOYV THEY MANAGE THE “ DRAYVN NUMBERS** BEFOREHAND — 

THE GREAT SHREYY"DNESS OF THE OPERATORS — THE SOCIAL RESPEC- 
TABILITY OF THESE — THE GREAT FIRM OF “ G. W. HUNTINGTON & CO.” 

— THE IMMENSE CIRCULATION OF THEIR JOURNAL. — THEIR Y"ICTIM, 

A MAINE FARMER, YVHO BELIEVED HE HAD “ DRAYY"N ** FIY"E THOU- 
SAND DOLLARS, AND COUNSELLOR YVHEATON, HIS LAWYER, A STORY 
TO THE POINT — WHO INVEST IN LOTTERIES.? CHILDREN, WIDOYVS, 
CLERGY"MEN, BANK CASHIERS, ETC. — HOYV THE FIRM OF “ G. YV. H. 

& CO.” WAS CAPTURED — NO. 2-3 WILLIAMS STREET, NEW YORK 

THEIR PRETENDED BANKING HOUSE — HOW A BOGUS LOTTERY C^'M- 
PANY SYVINDLED ITS OYVN AGENTS^ — A QUEER TALE. . , , 121 


CONTENTS. 


7 


THE BORROWED DIAMOND RING. ' 

THE DETECTIVE OFFICER’S CHIEF “ INCUBUS ” — AT WINTER GARDEN 
THEATRE — “HARRY DUBOIS ” — AN EXPERT ROGUE EXAMINES HIS 
PROSPECTIVE VICTIMS — SOME SOUTHERNERS — HARRY “ INTRO- 
DUCES ” HIMSELF IN HIS OWN PECULIAR AND ADROIT WAY — HARRY 
AND HIS FRIEND ARE INVITED TO THE SOUTHERNER’S PRIVATE BOX — 
HARRY “borrows” MR. CLEMENS’ DIAMOND #NG, AND ADROITLY 
ESCAPES — MY DILEMMA — VISIT TO HARRY’S OLD BOARDING MIS- 
TRESS — HIS WHEREABOUTS DISCOVERED — ACTIVE WORK — A RAPID * 
DRIVE TO PINE STREET — A FORTUNATE LIGHT IN THE OFFICE OF 
THE LATE HON. SIMEON DRAPER — A SUDDEN VISIT FOR A “ SICK 

MAN ” TO Harry’s room — how entrance was effected — the 
RING secured — hunt FOR MR. CLEMENS — A SLIGHTLY MYSTERI- 
OUS LETTER — A HAPPY INTERVIEW. 153 

THE MYSTERY AT 89 STREET, NEW YORK. 

“ KLEPTOMANIA ” — THE TENDENCY TO SUPERSTITION — AN OLD KNICK- 
ERBOCKER FAMILY — A VERY “ PROPER ” OLD GENTLEMAN, A MR. 
QARRETSON — HE CALLS ON ME AT MY OFFICE, AND FINDS A CURIOUS- 
LOOKING ROOM — HIS STORY OF WONDERS — “ EVERYTHING ” STOLEN 

— TALK ABOUT DISEMBODIED SPIRITS — THE MYSTERY DEEPENS — 
PROBABLE CONJECTURE BAFFLED — VISIT TO MR. GARRETSON’S HOUSE 

— MRS. GARRETSON A BEAUTIFUL AND CULTIVATED OLD LADY — WE 
SEARCH THE HOUSE — AN ATTIC FULL OF OLD SOUVENIRS — WE LIN- 
GER AMONG THEM — MR. GARRETSON’s DAUGHTER IS CONVINCED 
THAT DISEMBODIED SPIRITS ARE THEIR TORMENTORS — SHE PUTS AN 
UNANSWERABLE QUESTION — A DANGEROUS DOG AND THE SPIRITS — 
TEDIOUS AND UNAVAILING WATCHING FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND NIGHTS 

— THE “spirits” again AT WORK — RE-CALLED — THE MYSTERY 
GROWS MORE WONDERFUL — THE “SPIRIT” DISCOVERED, AND THE 
MYSTERY UNRAVELLED — THE FAMILY SENT AWAY — THE ATTIC RE- 
VISITED WITH MR. G., AND ITS TREASURES REVEALED — A RE-DIS- 
COVERY OF THE “ SPIRITS ” — THE FAMILY REVIEW THEIR LONG-LOST 
TREASURES FOUND — REFLECTIONS ON THE CAUSES OP THE MYSTERY 

— A PROBLEM FOR THE DOCTORS 169 

A SORCERESS’ TRICK; HOW SHE WAS CAUGHT. 

CLASSIFICATION OF MEN — THE SUPERSTITIOUS ELEMENT IN MAN — 

THE OLD CULTS CONTINUED IN THE NEAV — FIRE WORSHIP — THE 
SORCERERS — MY LEGAL FRIENd’s STORY A LAUGHABLE ONE INDEED 

— THE DESPONDENT OLD MAID, THOUGH ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED — 

AN AUNT ARRIVES IN “ THE NICK OF TIME ” — THEY HUNT UP A FOR- 
TUNE-TELLER — MRS. SEYMOUR, THE SORCERESS, AND HER PRETTY 
LITTLE “ ORATORY ” — THE “ PRIE-DIED ” — THE OLD MAID MARRIES 
-^MRS. SEYMOUR’S PLAN FOR INSURING THE AFFECTION OF HUSBANDS 

— HER POWERS AS A CHARMER — THE SACRED BOX AND ITS FIVE ‘ 
THOUSAND DOLLARS CONTENTS — MRS. SEYMOUR IS LOST SIGHT OP 

— SEARCH FOR HER IN BROOKX.YN AND AT BOSTON — THE CHARMED 

BOX OPENED BY MR. AND MRS. , AND THE CONTENTS FOUND TO 

HAVE CHANGED FORM MATERIALLY — MY LEGAL FRIEND AND I LOOK 
AFTER MATTERS — A PORTION OP TUB TRANSFORMED VALUABLES 
FOUND — A MRS. BRADLEY, A “ 3IEDIUM ” IN BOSTON, PROVES TO BE 
THE IDENTICAL MRS. SEYMOUR — THE HIGH-TONED DEVOTEES OP 


8 


CONTENTS. 


BOSTON — SUDDEN PROCEEDINGS TAKEN — MRS. SEYMOUR AND HER 
HUSBAND COME TO TERMS — RESULTS — RESPECTABLE VICTIMS OF 
THE SORCERERS NUMEROUS — DUPES IN THE “ ATHENS OF AMER- 
ICA.” 194 

DISHONEST CLERK AND FATAL SLIP OF PAPER. 

IN AN UGLY MOOD MYSELF — A VISIT FROM A CINCINNATIAN — 

A LOSS DETAILED — THE FATE OF A BANKING HOUSE RESTING ON 
“ COLLATERALS ” STOLEN, WHICH MUST BE RECOVERED — A LAWYER 
FIGURES IN THE MATTER AND IS BAFFLED — THE THIEVES SPECULAT- 
ING FOR A SETTLEMENT — THE SCHEME LAID FOR THEIR DETECTION 

— A BUSINESS VISIT TO THE BANKING-HOUSE — THE CHIEF CLERK 
SENT TO CHICAGO ON BUSINESS — A SEARCH REVEALING LOVE LET- 
TERS AND A LOVELY LITERARY LADY — ON TRACK OF MYSTERIOUS 
“papers” — THE FATAL SLIP OF PAPER — THE WAY THE STOLEN 
BONDS WERE RECOVERED — THE CHIEF CLERK, AND HOW HE WAS 
“ ENLIGHTENED ” — A NOVEL AND QUIET ARREST IN A CARRIAGE — 

THE clerk’s confederate CAUGHT — THE PROPERTY RESTORED — 

THE SCAMPS DECAMP — THE INNOCENT LITERARY LADY’s EYES 
OPENED 218 

THE THOUSAND DOLLAR LESSON. 

CHARLES PURVIS : TAKING HIM IN CHARGE AT A DISTANCE — HANGERS 
ON AT THE ST. NICHOLAS AND OTHER HOTEL ENTRANCES — A COLLO- 
QUY, SPICED WITH REMINISCENCES OF “OLD SAM COLT,” OF THE 
“revolver,” in HIS GAY DAYS; A PARTY AT THE “ OLD CITY HO- 
TEL,” HARTFORD, CONN., AND OTHER THINGS — TRINITY COLLEGE BOYS 

— “ GEORGE ELLSWORTH ” — PURVHS AND HE START ON A AVALK 

— “ WHERE CAN THEY BE GOING ? ” — GOING TO SEE ELLSWORTH’S 
“ FRIEND ” — AN EXCHANGE OF COATS — A SURVEY TAKEN — A FIRST- 
CLASS GAMBLING SALOON — A NEW MAN IN THE GAME — PURVIS 
DRUGGED — HIS “ FRIENDS ” TAKE HIM “HOME,” BUT WHERE? — 
PURVIS IS RETURNED TO HIS HOTEL IN A STATE OF STUPEFACTION ; 

IS AROUSED ; MISSES A THOUSAND DOLLARS — PLANS LAID TO CATCH 
HIS LATE FRIENDS — WILLIAMS FOUND BY ACCIDENT, AND QUIETLY 
CAGED — THE OLD IRISH WOMAN’S APPEAL — WILLIAMS “EXPLAINS,” 
AFTER PROPER INDUCEMENT — MOST OF THE MONEY RECOVERED — 

SUPPLEMENTS .* 237 

THE WOLF m SHEEP’S CLOTHING. 

THE ANTIQUITY OF THAT SHEEP’s SKIN AND ITS PIOUS USEFULNESS — 

A LARGE LOSS OF SILKS, SATINS, LACES, AND OTHER GOODS — A CON- 
SULTATION — A LONG STUDY — THE VARIOUS CHARACTERS OF SEVER- 
AL CLERKS, WHAT THEY DID, AND HOW THEY KILLED “ SPARE TIME ” 

— INFLUENCE OF THE CITY ON MORALS — NEW YORK CENTRAL PARK 

— A MOST WONDERFUL SERIES OF THEFTS — THE MATTER, INEXPLI- 
CABLE AT FIRST, GROWS MORE SUBTLE — A GLEAM OF LIGHT AT 
LAST — A BRIGHT ITALIAN BOY PLAYS A PART — A LADY FOLLOWED 

— MORE LIGHT — AN EXTEMPORIZED SERVANT OF THE CROTON 
WATER BOARD GETS INSIDE A CERTAIN HOUSE — SARAH CROGAN AND 
I — HOW A HOUSE IN NINETEENTH STREET DELIVERED UP ITS TREAS- 
URES — “william BRUCE,” ALIAS CHARLES PHILLIPS — A VERY 
STRANGE DENOUEMENT — A MEEK MAN TRANSFORMED; HIS RAGE — ' 

A DELIVERY UP, WITH ACCOMPANYING JEWELS — A “ WIDOW ” NOT 

A WIDOW REMOVES — WHAT SARAH CROGAN THOUGHT. , . . 254 


THE GAMBLER’S WAX FINGER 


CHARLES LEGATE — A FORGER — STUDYING HIM UP — FIFTY THOUSAND 
DOLLARS, HIS “ PRIZE ” — DESCRIPTION OF LEGATE — NO TWO PERSONS 
EVER AGREE IN DESCRIBING ANOTHER — A MARK HIT UPON — START 
FOR ST. LOUIS — MUSINGS — CURIOUS INCIDENTS OF MY JOURNEY — A 
GENEALOGICAL “ DODGE ” — ON LEGATE’s TRACK AT LAST — ST. LOUIS 
REACHED — OF MY STAY THERE — LEAVE FOR NEW ORLEANS PER STEAM- 
ER — A GENIAL CROWD OF MEN AND WOMEN ON BOARD — CHARACTER- 
ISTICS OF A MISSISSIPPI “voyage” — NAPOLEON, ARKANSAS — SOME 
“ CHARACTERS ” COME ON BOARD THERE — A GAMBLING SCENE ON 
BOARD — ONE JACOBS TAKES A PART — A PRIVATE CONFERENCE WITH 
JACOB’S NEGRO SERVANT — A TERRIFIC FIGHT ON BOARD AMONG THE 
GAMBLERS — JACOBS SET UPON, AND MAKES A BRAVE DEFENCE — HOW 
I DISCOVERED “ JACOBS ” TO BE PROBABLY LEGATE, IN THE MELEE — 
HE IS BADLY BRUISED — HIS LIFE DESPAIRED OF — WE ARRIVE IN NEW 
ORLEANS — JACOBS’ IDENTIFICATION AS LEGATE — LEGATE PROVES TO 
BE VERY RICH — A CURIOUS VISIT TO AN ITALIAN ARTIST’S STUDIO — 
A NOVEL MElilCINE ADMINISTERED TO SIGNORE CANCEMI, THE SICK 
ARTIST — HE GETS WELL AT ONCE. 

Early in my detective life^ when I was more ready 
than now to accept business which might lead me far 
from home, I was commissioned by a New York mercan- 
tile house to go to St. Louis first, and ‘‘ anywhere else 
thereafter on the two continents ’’ (as the senior member 
of the house fervently defined my latitude) where my 
thread might lead, to work up a subtle case of forgery to 
the amount of about fifty tjiousand dollars, out of wliich 
the house had been defrauded 'by one Charles Legate, a 
Canadian by birth, but combining in himself all the craft 
of an Italian, with the address of the politest Frenchman, 
and the bold perseverance and self-complacency of a Lon- 
don “ speculator.’^ The task before me was a difficult one, 
and at that time more than now I craved “desperate 


10 


A MAN S COMPLEXION, 


jobs,’^ entering into them with an enthusiasm proportioned 
to the trials and dangers they involved. 

After a thorough study in every particular of the corre- 
spondence between Legate and the house, which covered 
a long period of time, and in which was disclosed to me, as 
I thought, a pretty clear understanding of the man in all 
his various moods and systems of fraudulent pursuit, and 
having gathered from the members of the house every par- 
ticular in regard to the personal appearance of Legate, of 
which they could possess me, I started on my mission. 
The house had been unable for some time to get any word 
from Legate, or any tidings of his recent whereabouts 
from others ; so we felt certain that I should not find him 
at St. Louis, the point from which they had last heard from 
him, and where they had evidence he had for some weeks 
resided ; so I was even unusually particular in my inqui- 
ries of the firm as to Legatees mode of dress, the peculiari- 
ties of his manner, and all possible personal indices. Legate 
was one of those men whom it is difficult to describe, being 
of medium height, having black eyes and .black hair, a 
nose neither large nor small, mouth of medium size, 
teeth the same, nothing peculiar about his cast, and his 
complexion sometimes quite light, at others reddish.’^ 
There^s nothing more difficult to determine by inquiry 
from others than a man’s complexion, no two persons see- 
ing it alike. He dressed neither gaudily nor carelessly, and 
though my informants all agreed that he was a man of 
consummate address, yet none of them could by imitation 
give me any definite representation of his manner. 

Alrnnst in despair of learning anything at all definite about 
his personnel, which might enable me to identify Legate, I 
finally said, Gentlemen, almost everybody is in some 
way deformed or ill-formed — nose a little to one side — one 
foot larger than the other, leading to a habit of standing 
on it more firmly than on the other — one shoulder higher 
than the other — an arm a little out of shape — hand stiff 
— fingers gone, or something of the sort.” 


HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, 


11 


See here,” exclaimed Mr. Harris, a junior member of 
the firm, interrupting me, and resting his face pensively for 
a half minute on his hand, the elbow of which was pressed 
upon the table at which we sat. “ Ah, yes ; I have it. 
You’ve hit the nail on the head. I remember noticing 
once, when Legate dined with me at Delmonico’s, that the 
end, or about half, of his little finger of the left hand was 
gone. He. doesn’t show it much. I remember I looked a 
second time before I fully assured myself that what I first 
thought I discovered was so. He is as adroit about con- 
cealing that, as he is in his general proceedings.” I felt 
great relief to learn so much, and bidding my employers 
good day, found myself, as speedily as I well could, on the 
way to St. Louis, taking my course up the river, and on vi^ 
the New York Central Railroad. I suppose that it is the 
fact with every business man when travelling in the pur- 
suit of his occupation, either as a merchant going to the 
big cities to buy goods, the- speculator hunting out a 
good investment somewhere in real e'state, — no matter 
what the business, — to be more or less occupied in 
thought regarding it. But no man has half or a tenth part 
so much occasion for constant weariness about his business 
as has the detective ofiicer, whether he be in pursuit of an 
escaped villain, working up a civil case, searching for tes- 
timony in a given cause, or what not ; for however deep 
his theories, or well laid his plans, some accident or incident, 
apparently trifling in itself, may occur to give him in a 
moment more light than he might otherwise obtain in a 
mofith’s searching and study — a fact which is ever up- 
permost in my mind when in the pursuit of my calling, 
and I endeavor to turn everything possible to account. 
It so happened, that when along about Syracuse on the 
cars, I overheard some men, who were evidently enjoying 
each other’s society greatly in the narration of stories and 
experiences, saying something about “ home” and St. Louis; 
and I fancied they were, as proved to be the case, resi- 
dents of that city; and I became consequently quite 


12 


MR. HENDRICKS. 


interested in them, hoping that something would occur 
on their way to allow me, without obtrusion, to make 
their acquaintance ; for they were both men who appar- 
ently know what is going on around them,’' and very 
possibly might know Legate, or something about him, 
which might serve me. Indeed, I half fancied that one of 
them might be Legate himself; for he would answer tho 
description given me of that person as well as anybody I 
should be apt to find in a day’s travel ; and I was more 
than half confirmed in my suspicions, as you can readily 
surmise, when I discovered that the traveller was lacking 
the little finger, or nearly all of it, on the left hand ! Of 
course, thus aroused, I became very vratchful, and devised 
various plans of getting into the acquaintance of the gentle- 
men as soon as might be. But the cars rolled on and on, and 
no chance occurred to place myself in their immediate 
presence, although I walked up and down the aisle of the 
cars, occasionally lingering by this or that seat, and 
passing a word with the occupants ; but somehow I could 
not get at the men in question in this or any other 
like way ; but 1 kept myself as much as possible with- 
in hearing of their ludicrous, comical, or exciting stories, 
over which, at times, they laughed immoderately. 

Eventually, as the cars were starting on from a station 
at which we stopped for a moment, there came on board a 
fine, brusque, jolly, but courtly-looking man, of that class 
who bear about them the unmistakable evidences of good 
breeding, frankness, and honor, and whose associates are 
never less than respectable people, and who, as he brushed 
down the aisle of the car in search of a seat, accosted the 
man upon whom in particular I had my eye, — 

Ah, Mr. Hendricks ! I am very glad to meet you,” ex- 
tending L'is hand and giving him a cordial grasp and 
shake ” which assured me that the man Hendricks was a 
very different character from the Mr. Legate in search of 
whom I was making my journey ; and so my air castles,” 
founded upon suspicion, came to the ground. I know not 


INCIDENTS OF MY JOVIINEY. 


13 


wliy, but I really felt a relief to find that it was not Legate, 
after all, notwithstanding it would have been a happy cir- 
cumstance for me, had Mr. Hendricks really been he. 

But I listened still to the St. Lousians’ story-telling, 
which grew more and more loud as we moved on, in con- 
sequence, I suppose, of their occasional attention to a little 
flask of wine which each gentleman carried; but they 
did not become boisterous. Mr. Hendricks was narrating 
to his friend, — whose name by this time I had discovered 
to be Phelps, — what was evidently an intensely interesting 
story to the latter, when he, striking his hand very heavily 
upon his leg, exclaimed, That Legate was one of the most 
accomplished villains — no softer word will do — that I 
ever heard of.’^ 

Ah, ha ! ’’ I thought to myself, “ now I am in the right 
company to get a clew to the fellow. But stop ; he said 
“ was,” not is. I wonder if Legate is dead : perhaps he 
is ; and I became quite fearful that he might be, and so my 
mission prove entirely fruitless. But I could see no chance 
to break in upon their conversation here, or make their 
acquaintance. That Legate,” too, might also be another 
than the Charles Legate, whom I was seeking. What shall 
I do? and I pondered over the matter. Finally I made 
the bold resolution to interrupt the’ gentlemen at the first 
half-favorable opportunity, my seat being one back of 
theirs, on the other side of the car, and so near that I 
might do so quite readily. While talking of this man Le- 
gate, their conversation was, in the main, more subdued, and 
as if half confidential, than upon other topics, which made 
it the more difficult for me to interpolate a query, for 1 had 
by this time resolved upon my plan. 

Presently I heard Mr. Hendricks say, The last I heard 
of him, he’d gone to Mexico.” I fancied this must relate to 
Legate, and began to think that my journey might indeed 
extend over the two continents,” according to my condi- 
tional orders on starting. Presently I heard the name 
Legate, and as Messrs. Hendricks and Phelps were at this 


14 


CHARLEY BLACK EYES LEGATE, 


time in the height of their jolly humor, I fancied they 
wouldn’t mind the obtrusion. I stepped from my seat to 
theirs, and said, Gentlemen, you’ll pardon me, but I am 
somewhat interested in the genealogy of the Legate family 
both at the west and east ; and just hearing you speak the 
name Legate, it occurred to me that perhaps I could get a 
new name to add to my list. Is it a gentleman of the west- 
ern branch of whom you were speaking ? ” 

“ 0, no, sir,” replied Mr. Hendricks ; the man we were 
speaking of doesn’t belong to the United States at all. He 
was (and is, if alive) a Canadian, who lived for a while at 
St. Louis. Are you a Legate, sir, or a relative of the fami- 
ly ? allow me to ask.” 

No, sir ; simply a general genealogist. You know all 
men have their weaknesses : genealogical studies are 
among mine.” 

I asked,” said he, “ because, if your name was Legate, 
you might have been offended, if 1 had told you that the 
Legate we were talking about wouldn’t add any grace to 
your family list.” 

Ah, ha ! then I infer that he might have been at least 
a man of bad habits — perhaps a dishonest one.” 

“Well, the public opinion in St. Louis is, that this man 
Legate wasn’t very honest, however good his general hab- 
its may have been.” 

“ I am sorry,” said I, that any member of the Legate 
family anywhere should bring disgrace upon the name ; 
but we can’t always help these things — a pretty good 
family generally throughout the country, I find. Permit 
me to ask, what was this Legate’s first name ? perhaps I 
have heard of him before.” 

“ Charles,” said Mr. Hendricks ; “ or familiarly, among 
his old acquaintances, ‘ Charley Black Eyes Legate,’ to 
distinguish him from a blue-eyed gentleman by the same 
name. His French friends, too, — there are a great many 
French-speaking people in St. Louis, — called him ' Charley 
Noir (Black — short for black eyes.’ ) ” 


LEGATE, “.I PINK OF A MANT 


15 


Having learned so much, I was not anxious to press my 
inquiries, at that time, beyond simply asking if he was still 
residing in St. Louis, and was assured that he had de- 
parted — nobody knew to what point — nine months before. 
I managed, before we arrived in St. Louis, to make the 
further acquaintance of these gentlemen, without letting 
them at all into my business ; indeed, so cordial had they 
become as to insist on calling on me the next day after my 
arrival at the Planter’s Hotel, and giving me a long ride 
about the city. 

During the ride I referred to Legate, and learned from 
them that he was a swindler and a gambler : that for a 
while he moved in the best society in St. Louis, and was 
thought a pink of a man,” possessing good manners, and 
being an unusually interesting colloquist and story-teller. 
He was considerable of a romancer among the ladies,” 
said Hendricks. 

^‘Better say necromancer; that would be nearer the 
truth,” suggested Mr. Phelps. 

0,” said I, a man given, in short, to wine, women, and 
cards, you mean ? ” 

Yes, exactly ; but a man miglit be all that, and not be 
a Legate,” responded Hendricks. The fact is, sir, this 
Legate is a most unscrupulous villain — a man who would 
hesitate at nothing. If I am rightly informed, he made a 
murderous assault in New Orleans once upon an old friend 
who happened to cross him in some way. It was in that 
encounter, Phelps, that he lost his finger. I’ve heard.” 

I could no longer have any doubt that I was on the 
right track, and I felt that there could be no danger in con- 
fiding my special business in St. Louis to these men, who 
might be able to give me great assistance, possibly. So I 
told them that I was hunting this same Charles Legate, of 
the frauds he had perpetrated upon the New York house, 
and that I wished to find him within a given time in order 
to secure a certain amount of property in Canada, which, 
?ifter a certain period, would be so disposed of as to be of no 


IG 


AN UNCERTAIN MAN TO ^‘TRACKT 


avail to my employers, and that I was willing to give any 
reasonable amount for information which might enable me 
to reach him. 

My friends told me that they thought my case an almost 
hopeless one, that Legate’s sagacity could outwit the very 
d — 1, and that he was the most uncertain man to “ track ” 
in the world; but they would do all in their power to find 
out who were his principal associates, during the last of 
his stay in St. Louis, the time, as near as might be deter- 
mined, when he left, and what course he took. They had 
heard that he had gone to Mexico ; but that was probably 
only a blinder.” 

I staid in St. Louis five days, prosecuting my inquiries j 
but all I could learn of any import was, that the last which 
was known of Legate in St. Louis, he was constantly with 
a certain pack of gamblers, of rather a desperate order, 
and that, with his quick temper, it was possible that he had 
got into a fight (as some had suspected), and been made 
way with — possibly thrown into the Mississippi. This 
was not decidedly encouraging, and I was on the point of 
writing back to my employers that it was useless to search 
for Legate longer at that time ; that they would have to 
trust to some future accident to reveal him, if still alive, 
indeed. But having another affair on hand at the same 
time, which necessarily called me to New Orleans before 
returning to New York, I thought better of the matter, 
and merely wrote to my New York friends, that having 
gotten all possible clew to Legate in St. Louis, I should 
take boat next day for New Orleans, from which point they 
would hear from me duly. 

The next afternoon I took the steamer “ Continental,” 
after having made all arrangements with my new friends 
in St. Louis to apprise me if ever Legate turned up ” in 
that city ; and down the mighty Mississippi the proud boat 
bore me and a large number of the most cheerful, genial, 
and hearty men and women I ever travelled with. There’s 
a certain frankness and generosity about the western and 


AT NAPOLEON, ARKANSAS. 


17 


southern people which captivated me, when I first went 
among them, at once ; but though I had often been in -the 
west, I had never encountered a finer class of travellers 
than departed with me that day from St. Louis, on board 
the well-tried steamer Continental. 

Nothing special, save the usual jollity, mirth, good living, 
copious drinking, and lively card-playing, which character- 
ized a voyage down the Mississippi,” especially in those 
days*, occurred, and being not over-well, I kept my berth 
considerably — until our arrival at Napoleon, Arkansas, 
where we stopped to wood up ” and take on passengers, 
accessions of whom we had had all along our course, at 
every stopping-place. A.t Napoleon quite a concourse came 
on, mainly of not well-to-do people, mostly migrating to Texas 
in order to better their worldly condition, as they thought. 
Poor fellows ! I fear many of them found themselves 
doomed to disappointment. But to my story. Among the 
on-comers at Napoleon were three men of marked indi- 
vidualities. They came aboard separately. One of them 
was quite large and comely, neatly dressed, in the style 
then prevailing at the North •; nothing about him but cer- 
tain provincialisms of speech to indicate that he might 
not be a northern man. The other two wore long hair, and 
beards, and slouched hats, and had the air of well-to-do 
planters of middle age. One of them was accompanied 
by a negro, the most obsequious of all his race, and 
who, whenever ordered by his master to do anything, al- 
ways took great care to indicate his willingness to obey 
by saying, very obsequiously, “ Yes, Massa Colonel,” or 
Yes, Massa Jacobs ; ” by which fact I of course learned 
what the negro supposed, at least, his master^sname to be; 
but there was something about this man^s appearance 
which excited my suspicion, at first, that he might not bo 
a planter, after all. 

It was near nightfall when we departed from Napoleon, 
- and it was not long after the cabin was lighted up that the 
usual card-playing was resumed; and these three men 


2 


18 


AN EXCITING GAME. 


crowded, with others, round the tables, to look on at fir^^t, 
and of course to take part when occasion might offer. Ja- 
cobs was particularly observant of the games as they pro- 
ceeded. Although I saw that he had peculiar talents for 
the gaming-table, I ^vondered why he lingered so long 
before taking a hand. But he was biding his time. The 
bar, of course, was pretty well patronized, and the finest 
looking of the three men in question grew apparently 
more and more mellow. The stakes at this time werd not 
large, but the players were waxing more and more earnest, 
when this man — assuming to be slightly intoxicated — > 
exclaimed, Gentlemen, I say, I say — do you hear me ? 
— that this fun is rather slow. Is there anybody here thaj 
wants to play for something worth while ? See here,’’ said 
he, strangers, please let me draw up my seat,” pushing 
his chair up between those of two players ; see here ; 
there’s a cool two thousand, that I want to double or 
lose to-night,” and poured from a red bag a heap of gold, 
over a portion of which he clapped his large hand. ‘‘I 
am in for it. Is there anybody that wants to make this 
money?” 

Well, stranger,” said Jacobs, when these players can 
give us room, I’m your man ; that is, till my pile’s gone. 
’Tain’t so big as yours, and it ought to go for a new nigger 
down to Orleans. I must have another hand; but your 
challenge is rather provoking, I must confess, and I don’t 
care if I try you.” 

The players, moved by that curiosity which such a pro- 
ceeding between “ strangers ” would be apt to excite, po- 
litely made room for the combatants, and in their turn 
became lookers on. The large man played well, but he 
was (apparently) intoxicated, and now and then bungled,” 
giving the game into Jacobs’ hands at times. My curiosity 
about Jacobs was, I know not really why, constantly in- 
creasing, and when the third of that trio had entered 
the lists with a partner, I managed to slip out dovva \o the 


THE SPECUMATERS: 


19 


lower deck, wliere Jacobs had ordered his servant, and fall 
into conversation with him. 

Are you Mr. Jacobs’ nigger? ” 

Yes, massa ; I’se Massa Jacobs’ body sarvant.” 

Your master’s a jolly fellow — isn’t he ? He’s a plant- 
er, I suppose — has a great number of ‘‘hands” — hasn’t 
he?” 

“ No, Massa Jacobs don’t plant. He’s a banker, or a 
specumater, as they call um up there.” 

“Up where ? ” 

“ Little Eock — we lives about five miles wess of Little 
Rock.” 

“ 0, then he don’t plant. What do those speculators 
do ? I never heard of them before.” 

“ 0, massa, you’s quare — ain’t you ? You never knows 
about the specumaters ? That’s quare.” 

“ But tell me what they do ; ” and the darky, turning 
up the whites of his eyes in a most inimitable manner, 
and cocking his head to one side, while he put his big 
hands into the attitude of one about to sbuffle cards, went 
through the motions of dealing off cards with a celerity 
that indicated that he, too, might be a “ specumater,” as he 
doubtless was, among the darkies, having taken lessons 
in his master’s office. 

When he had finished this exhibition, he whirled about 
on his heel in true negro style, and with great glee shuflOied 
a half dozen steps, and ended witli an air of triumph, which 
indicated to me that he thought his master a great man. 
The slaves used, despite all they might suffer from a 
cruel master, to take great pride in him if he excelled in 
anything, or was a noted man. 

“Your master’s a great speculator, then ? I reckon I 
had not better try him, eh ? ” 

“ Tell troof, massa, I reckon dare’s nobody on dis heah 
boat that can beat massa ; ” and he looked very serious, 
and spoke low, as if kindly Avarning me. 

I had learned enough, and proceeded to the cabin, and 


20 


ROPING TO PLAY, 


watched the play. For a while Jacobs played with the large 
“ stranger/’ sometimes losing a little, sometimes winning 
more, and at last gave up the play, having won quite a 
sum. 

Noting Jacobs’ success, and the stranger,” too, having 
ordered on sundry glasses of liquor during the play, and 
having become apparently more heedless, others anxiously 
sought his place. A party of four was made up, and the 
large “ stranger ” and the third one formed two as partners. 
Jacobs posted himself where he could signal to the large 
“ stranger,” who, with his partner, went on now winning 
great successes. Frequent charges of ‘‘ cheating ” were 
indulged in by the losers, and Jacobs was appealed to to 
decide the points in issue, which he always did favora- 
bly for the large stranger.” But as the losses grew 
heavier, the suflering parties became incensed, and charged 
Jacobs as cooperator with the large “ stranger ” and his 
partner; and finally some one on board declared that 
he knew Jacobs and the large stra^er ” to be chums; 
that they travelled together up and oown the river, swin- 
dling everybody they could “ rope in ” to play. This, being 
whispered about at first, became finally talked aloud ; and 
then commenced fearful criminations and recriminations 
among the parties. Pistols and knives were freely bran- 
dished, and a grand melee seemed on the point of breaking 
out ; and it did break at last, fearfully. All the while 
my eye was upon Jacobs. I could not, for some reason, 
avert it. Somehow he seemed to me to wonderfully re- 
_ semble the description I had had of Legate ; but there was 
this difficulty in the way of my suspicions. Jacobs wore 
upon the little finger of his left hand a large seal-ring, and 
there was unmistakably a full-formed finger, which articu- 
lated at the joints properly, and I must be mistaken. Dur- 
ing the earlier part of the disturbance, which the officers 
of the boat tried in vain to quell, the big “ stranger ” had 
been the chief centre of abuse and attack; but suddenly 
some one exclaimed, That black-muzzled wretch is worse 


A FEARFUL FIGHT. 


21 


than the big one/’ and the whole party of sufierers turned 
instantly upon him. Jacobs was a brave fellow, and with 
cocked revolver in hand breasted the whole, and swore he 
would kill the first man who laid hands on him, standing 
then on one side of the cabin with his back to the door of 
a state-room. Suddenly a passenger, who had retired for 
the night, opened the door behind him, and Jacobs, being 
stiffly braced against it, lurched ” for an instant, when an 
agile, wiry fellow of the angry crowd suddenly jumped for- 
ward and grasped his revolver, turning its muzzle upwards, 
when off went the pistol — the first shot, which was a sig- 
nal for a desperate conflict, in which Jacobs struggled hard 
for the possession of his revolver, but was overpowered, and 
most severely beaten, so much so, that he had finally to be 
carried to his berth ; and I followed the crowd that bore 
him there. He was speechless and nearly dead, I thought, 
and they laid him in his bunk. I noticed that the ring had 
gone from his finger, and with it, lo ! the end of the finger 
also, leaving only Jjje first joint and part of the second. 
I examined the stump, and saw that it was old. No fui'ther 
doubt rested on my mind that Jacobs and Legate were one 
and the same, and I immediately called the attention of 
the passengers to the loss of the ring and the finger, and 
caused search to be made for the same, which we found 
evidently unharmed, having somehow fallen into the state- 
room, the opening of the door of which first threw Jacobs 
off from his balance. I took charge of the finger, which 
was made of hardened wax, as my trophy, and some one, I 
knew not who, took the ring. 

The big stranger,” who was badly bruised too, was not 
so much wounded that he could not be about next day, 
but kept aloof from poor Jacobs, probably because he had 
protested utter unacquaintance with him, and the next 
night, with the third stranger,” got off the boat, it was 
supposed, at the point where the boat stopped to wood, for 
the next day they were nowhere to be found on the boat ; 
but poor Jacobs was so severly handled that his life was 


22 


RICH GAMBLERS. 


despaired of by a doctor on board, and we took him along 
to New Orleans. Meanwhile I had made my suspicions 
and business known to the captain of the boat, and we 
took means for Jacobs’ detention on board after the rest 
of the passengers should leave. But, poor fellow I there 
was hardly need in his case for so much caution or pre- 
vision, for when we arrived in the city, Jacobs could not 
have left the boat had he tried, so weak and sick was he. 
I left him on board, and hastened to the office of a friend 
of mine, once a detective in New York, and told him the 
story, asking his counsel how best to proceed. 

“ Why,” said he, this is a strange affair ; but I think 
I can put you in the way at once of identifying this Ja- 
cobs as the very Legate whom you are after. Indeed, 
rest assured that he is your man, without doubt.” Going 
to his drawer, he produced and showed to me an advertise- 
ment of a year before, offering a reward of two thousand 
dollars for the arrest of one Charles Legate, alias Charles 
L. Montford,” giving a description of his person, but point- 
ing especially to the fact that he was wanting a portion 
of the little finger of the left hand. You see,” said my 
friend, “ that we have an interest in the fellow as well as 
you. If he is our man, we are all ^ hunky-dory/ ” said he, 
for he is very rich, as we have found out — know where 
his money is.” 

Rich ? ” asked I. “ Why, then, does he continue to lead 
the life he does ? ” 

Why ? Why, indeed, such a question from an old de- 
tective like you astonishes me : it wouldn’t, though, if a 
woman, or a fool, asked it,” said he, giving me a curious 
wink. Don’t you know yet that the Mississippi is infested 
with old gamblers rich as Jews, and who can’t give up 
their pious trade to save their lives ? Come along.” And 
he took me down St. Louis Street a ways, and stepped into 
a side street, and standing before a door a moment, said. 
Give me the finger, and follow me.” We mounted a couple 
of flights of dirty stairs, and my friend opened a door into 





7 ////,/, 


'/ffUUU 




WJ.mA 






WAX FINGER DISCOVERED 




THE ITALIAN'S STUDIO. 


25 


a isort of anatomical museum of old gypsum and wax casts, 
and all sorts of small sculptural devices. 

“ Mr. Cancemi at home ? asked my friend of a weird- 
looking lad, whose hands were besmeared with the plaster 
he was working. Si signore,’^ (y^s, sir), was the reply ; 
“ but my fader is much sick, questo giorno’’ (to-day). 

“ But I must see him a moment. Won’t you go ask him 
to come down ? ” 

The family, it seemed, occupied rooms in the loft above. 
The boy hurried off, and presently the father came down 
with him, almost too feeble to walk. 

Cancemi,” said my friend, “ you are sick ; but I’ve 
brought you some medicine that will cheer you up at 
once.” 

“ Ah, Dio,” exclaimed the old Italian, I vish it be so. 
I am much ammalato (sick). What have you brought? — 
Tell quick.” 

“ See here ! ” said my friend ; “ did you ever see that 
before ? ” producing the finger. The old Italian seemed a 
new man as his eyes dilated at the sight with wonder, 
and he went into raptures over the matter, the reason for 
which I could not understand, and in his broken English 
muttered a thousand exclamations of surprise and joy. Of 
course he identified the finger as the one he had made for 
the “villain-scoundrel Legate.” Legate, I found, had 
never paid the Italian for his skillful handiwork, and he 
had been promised a portion of the reward, if my friend 
should succeed in earning it — hence his joy. 

We left the old Italian soon, and proceeded to the boat, 
where we confronted Jacobs, and made him acknowledge 
his identity with Legate. My business was made known 
to him. He lay on the boat for two days, until her return 
trip, when we had him carefully taken to a private hospi- 
tal, where he could, beyond possibility of escape, be con- 
fined, and awaited his slow recovery under* the best medi- 
cal and other attendance we could procure. I telegraphed 
to my parties in New York, one of whom came on directly, 


26 


EVEN A ]VAX El NOE R MA ^^POINT: 


reaching New Orleans within ten days from that time ; and 
before two weeks had passed from the time of liis arrival, 
we had settled matters with the now penitent, because 
caged, Legate ; and the New Orleans parties who had 
offered the reward were now called in by my detective 
friend, and settled their affairs with him by accepting a 
mortgage he held for twenty-five thousand dollars on a 
sugar plantation in the Opelousas country, paying the re- 
ward to my friend, and losing nothing in the result. 

Only for the advertisement in the New Orleans paper, 
probably Legate would never have thought to procure a 
I'alse finger; but for which I should never have been able 
to satisfy my sell that Jacobs, in his bruised and battered 
state, was the identical Legate, and might have left him 
without further investigation on the boat. 

J he old Italian recovered his health speedily in his joy 
over Legate’s capture, and Avas not forgotten bv my friend, 
who, by the Avay, but for this old artist, would of course 
have never known of Legate’s attempt at disguising the 
only peculiar mark about him, and would not, therefore, 
have been so sure of his identity when I told him my story. 

Straws show which way the wind bloAVs,” and '‘fingers,” 
though they be inanimate and waxen, may " point,” you 
see, unmistakably to a villain. 


LOTTERY TICKET, No. 


1710. 


X DIGNIFIED REAL-ESTATE HOLDER, VERY WEALTHY, LOSES SEVEN THOU- 
SAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY- FIVE DOLLARS — OUR FIRST COUNCIL 
AT THE HOAVARD HOUSE — VISIT TO HIS HOUSE TO EXAMINE HIS SAFE 
AND SERVANTS — A LOTTERY TICKET, NO. 1710, FOUND IN THE SAFE — 
HOW CAME THIS MYSTERIOUS PAPER THERE? — CONCLUSIONS THEREON 
— VISIT TO BALTIMORE, AND PLANS LAID 'IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 
LOTTERY AGENT TO CATCH THE THIEF — THE TICKET “ DRAWS ” — THE 
■ NEW YORK AGENCY “MANAGED” — TRAP TO IDENTIFY THE fHIEF — 
THE SECURITY AND “ SOLITUDE ” OF A GREAT CITY — A NEW YORK 
BANKER — MR. LATIMER VISITS A GAMBLING-HOUSE IN DISGUISE. — 
IDENTIFIES THE SUSPECTED YOUNG MAN — THE AGENT AT BALTIMORE 
WAXES GLEEFUL — HIS PLAN OF OPERATIONS OVERRULED — MEETING 
OP “INTERESTED PARTIES” AT THE OFFICE IN BALTIMORE — A LITTLE 
GAME PLAYED UPON THE NEW YORK AGENT — MR. WORDEN, THE THIEF, 
IDENTIFIES THE TICKET, AND PALLS INTO THE TRAP OF A PRE-ARRANGED 
“draft” — DISCLOSES SOME OP THE IDENTICAL MONEY STOLEN — WE 
ARREST HIM — EXCITING SCRAMBLE — THE MONEY RECOVERED — WOR- 
DEN’S AFTER LIFE. 


“ Your name is , I believe, sir?’' asked a tall, gray- 

haired gentleman of me one evening, as I was stepping 
out of the Carleton blouse, a hotel then on the corner of 
Broadway and Leonard Street. 

Yes, that’s my name,” offering my hand to receive the 
already extended hand of the gentleman. 

I have sought you,” said he, at the suggestion of 
my friend and lawyer, James T. Brady ; who tells me that 
you are able, if anybody is, to help me in my loss.” 

‘^You’ve had a loss? Well, sir, you wish to tell me 
about it. Shall we go in here, or where shall we go to 
talk it over.” 

Can we not walk up Broadway, and I tell you during 
our walk ? ” 


28 


AN' APPOINTMENT. 


^‘Probably that would not be the best way/’ I replied, 
for it is doubtless as a detective that you need me, and 
we might meet somebody who knows me as such, and who 
might be the very last person whom I should like to have 
see us together,” I replied. 

You are right, sir,” said he, smiling. “Your caution 
shows me that you understand your business ; but it is 
too late to go far up town to my house. — I have it. Pll 
call at the Howard House, take a private room, and you 
follow, in half an hour, say, and finding this name on the 
register with my room, come up. Here’s my card. Come 
directly to the room, and say nothing.” 

“ That’s a good plan, sir. I will be there ; ” and he 
left, and I, having finished my business at the Carleton, 
wandered slowly up Broadway to kill time, wondering 
what such a stately, dignified, cool-headed sort of a look- 
ing man as he — a real estate holder to large amount, a 
man whom everybody knew by reputation as one of the 
most quiet in the city — could have for me to do. I sus- 
pected forgery, arson, or some attempt at it, and a dozen 
other things. .But I drove them all out of mind in a few 
minutes, for it is never well for a detective to indulge in 
anticipations in such a juncture of affairs ; and meeting 
just then an old friend, beguiled a few minutes with him 
along Broadway, and finally taking out my watch, saAv I 
had only ample time to get to the Howard at the time ap- 
pointed, and so “suddenly recollected ” an appointment, 
excused myself to my friend, sought the Howard and the 
gentleman there, whom I readily found in waiting for me. 

“ You are here on the moment,” said he, as he closed 
and locked the door on my entry. “ Take this seat, if you 
please, and I’ll try to be short with my story.” 

“ Go on, sir,” said I ; but please don’t be in too much 
haste. I have plenty of time; but tell me all your story 
as you would, and probably did, to Mr. Brady.” 

“ Well, sir, day before yesterday morning I missed from 
my safe, at my house, seven thousand two hundred and 


STORY OF THE LOSS, 


29 


fifty-five dollars, which I placed there the night before, 
having received most of it that day, at an hour too late to 
make deposit of it in bank ; ’’ and here he paused. 

Well, sir,” said I, “who took it? That’s the question, 
I presume, which you wish to solve.” 

“ Yes, that, of course, is the point ; but I can’t fix my 
suspicions upon anybody.” 

“ You say that most of this money was received after 
banking hours. Suppose you tell me next where and of 
whom you received it, and in what amounts, for I infer 
that you did not receive it in a lump.” 

“ No ; I collected it partly from rentals due, and some 
came to me from the country, — notes due, — and some 
from the sale of a cargo of pressed hay over at Jersey 
City, and I did not get around in time to put it in bank, 
such as I had, before closing hours,” looking at memo- 
randa. 

“Well, I am glad you have memoranda of the amounts. 
Now tell me where you received these, each one ; ” and he 
went on to tell me, in detail, where, and wIk) was near by, 
if anybody, in each case where a tenant or other debtor 
paid him money. I listened intently, and could get at 
nothing worthy of note till he came to the hay transaction 
at Jersey City. It appeared that there were several per- 
sons standing about at the time of the payment of the 
money to my client (call him Latimer, for further conven- 
ience), mostly working-men, some dealers, loafers, and 
two or three well-dressed, but rather dashily-dressed, young 
men. Mr. Latimer had been obliged to take out consider- 
able money from his own purse, in order the better to 
arrange it to put in the amount then received ; and feeling 
that he had quite an amount of money, even at that time, 
and he added some before he reached home, put his purse 
in his inner vest pocket, thinking of nothing worse than 
possibly encountering pickpockets, or losing his money by 
accident on the way. In his vest pocket he thought it 


30 


INSPECTION OF THE HOUSE. 


secure, and secure it was to take home, but not secure for 
keeping. 

The result of our conference was that evening, that I 
should be obliged to go with Mr. Latimer to his home the 
next morning, when he would call at my office for me. I 
could not go that night, and perhaps it was as well ; for I 
had a business appointment which led me, not an hour 
after parting with Mr. Latimer, into certain haunts where 
I fancied, — it was mere imagination, if it were not instinc- 
tive perception, in which I do not much believe, although 
many mysterious things have occurred in my life which 
seemed to be governed or directed by some subtle law, 
which the human brain is not yet strong enough to discov- 
er, — where I fancied, I say, that I saw some of the money 
which Mr. Latimer had lost, displayed, and distributed in 
dissipation. In short, I imagined that I had stumbled 
upon the thief, and had I known the character of the bills, 
which Mr. Latimer, however, could not tell me much about, 
I might have seized my man then and there. 

But the next morning I visited Mr. Latimer’s house in 
an up-town street, which was not then, as now, compactly 
builded ; at least, in the portion of it where he dwelt. I ex- 
amined everything about the premises, concluded where a 
thief might have gotten into the house without much 
trouble, and finally commenced questioning Mr. Latimer 
about his family, the servants, etc. None of Mr. L.’s fam- 
ily, except his wife, were at home. Two boys, or young 
men, were at school, rather at college one of them, and 
both far away, and the daughters were at the female sem- 
inary in Cazenovia. As to the servants, in whose honesty 
Mr. Latimer had the utmost confidence, I had them called 
into my presence, and questioned them about the condi- 
tion of the house on the night of the robbery. One of 
them heard some slight noise, at some time between twelve 
o’clock and four in the morning ; was not definite. The 
others slept soundly ; heard nothing. They did not seem 
to me likely to be connected with anybody, or to have 


now rilE SAFE UNLOCKED? 


31 


lovers who would be apt to be of the class who might 
have robbed the safe. Besides, nobody, not even Mrs. 
Latimer, knew that Mr. L. had deposited any amount 
of money in his safe that night. He was of the order of 
men who attend strictly to ^Hheir own business,’’ too 
strictly, sometimes, when evidence is wanted especially. 
His bedroom adjoined the room in which the safe stood, 
and was so situated in regard to a pair of back stairs,” 
that if the robber had come in from the back (on the 
theory of his possible complicity with the servants), he 
• could have hardly gotten into the room without disturbing 
Mr. and Mrs. Latimer, unless on that night, which was 
probably the case, they slept with unusual soundness. 1 
concluded that the robber must be an expert one, and 
somehow I constantly referred in mind to the fellow whom 
I have alluded to before as having been seen liberally dis- 
pensing money. He seemed to me competent for the busi- 
ness ; but there was one thing which 1 left to the last, 
which arose in my mind at first on my interview with Mr. 
Latimer at the Howard ; but I said nothing of it then, for 
I had learned that the best way is to approach the most 
serious troubles softly ; as often the course of things,” as 
they take shape in an interview, will better point out how 
this or that mystery occurred than all the attempted solu- 
tions which one might, a i^riori^ project for a week, and 
that one thing which perplexed me was. How did the rob- 
ber unlock that safe? He must either have been familiar 
with the house and the safe, and perhaps had a key to it, 
or he must have carried about him, probably, several safe 
keys, one of which happened to fit (and the key to this 
safe was a small one, fifty of the like size of which would 
not much trouble a burglar to carry), or he must have 
gotten possession of Mr. Latimer’s key. But his key was 
in his vest pocket, and his clothes were on a chair at the 
head of his bed, ho said, on my inquiring, — there’s where 
he left them, and there was where he found them in the 
morning, — and he was sure he locked his safe securely 


32 


EXAMINING THE SAFE. 


after putting the money in. I finally, as the concluding 
portion of my examination, asked Mr. Latimer to let me 
see the inside of his safe, and to show me where he de- 
posited the money. He unlocked and opened the safe, — 
a simple lock concern, proof really against nothing but fire, 
perhaps ; for although it was supposed that the keyhole 
was so small, and the safe so constructed, that burglars 
could not get sufficient powder into it to blow it up, yet 
it would not have stood a minute against the skill and 
power of professional burglars ; but to open it, as they 
would have done, would have necessitated noise enough to 
have awakened Mr. Latimer, especially as the bedroom 
door was open. Mr. Latimer had put the money into a 
little drawer in the safe, and turned the key of that, which 
key, however, remained in the drawer lock. But the 
drawer was tight, and we tried a dozen times to pull it 
out without making a creaking noise, without avail ; so I 
concluded that, on the whole, Mr. Latimer and his wife 
had slept that night pretty soundly. 

We were about closing the safe again, — I having made 

due examination, and asked all necessary questions, 

when Mr. Latimer, thinking to arrange a half dozen or so 
papers which had been thrown loosely upon the bottom 
of the safe, took them up in one grasp of the hand, and 
commenced to put them in file, Avhen out of his hand 
dropped a little white card with figures on it, which ar- 
rested his attention. He picked it up, looked at it with 
astonishment, and said, That’s a curious thing to be 
here,” handing it to me. '' You will perhaps think me a 
sporting man, a devotee of the Goddess of Luck ; but I 
don’t know who put that here.” ‘'Who has access to 
your safe besides yourself? ” “ My wife ; she has a key.” 

“ 0,” said 1, “ perhaps she’s put it here then.” “ Not she,” 
said he. “ She’d turn pale with horror if she had found 
that here, in fear that I might be trifling with lotteries. 
A brother of hers spent a good-sized fortune in lottery 
tickets, and died of disappointment and chagrin over his 


THE MYSTERY OF THE SAFE. 


33 


course. Not she Yes, I know,’^ said I; still she 
may have put it there, if not for herself, for one of the 
servants, perhaps ; for you know many servants have a 
mania for ^ trying their luck.’ ” So Mrs. Latimer was 
called, and asked about the lottery ticket. There was no 
mistaking her seriousness when she said that if one of the 
servants had asked her to lock up the ticket for safety, 
she would have taken it and torn it to pieces before her 
eyes. I was satisfied. But how came the ticket there. 

No. 1710, Great Havana Consolidated Lottery,” to be 
drawn on such a day, through the house of Henry Colton 
& Co., Baltimore. This is as near as the notes of my diary 
of those days, much worn, permit me to recount the words 
and figures of the ticket as I took them down in pencil. I 
studied the ticket, and saw from a note at the bottom that 
some days would elapse before the drawing was to come 
off*. It was a fresh ticket then, evidently. But how did 
it get there ? Mr. and Mrs. Latimer knew nothing about 
it — that was clear. It had not been there long — that 
was equally clear. I questioned Mr. Latimer about the 
condition of the loose papers in the bottom of the safe. It 
appeared he did not observe much order in them, so I could 
learn nothing by that query. Finally, I concluded that 
perhaps in pulling out the drawer the robber experienced 
considerable trouble, and that if he had the ticket in his 
vest pocket at the time, in bending over, and exerting 
some force to pull out the drawer, he might have dropped 
it on the floor, and perhaps his curiosity led him to pull 
out the papers too, some of which fell from his hand, and 
he picked them up, the ticket along with them. I settled 
upon this, and there was a clew to the robber, if nothing 
more. But how did he unlock the safe ? This question 
remained unanswered. Perhaps with a false key, as I 
have before suggested ; but this lock was one supposed to 
need a special key, none other exactly like it in the whole 
world. After we had finished our examination, Mr. Lat- 
imer closed the safe door, gave a turn to the knob, and 


3 


34 


THl^ TICKET. 


jerked out the key. I do not know what led me to think 
of it, but I asked, “ Have you locked it?’^ “ Yes,’’ said 

he, that’s all you have to do to lock one of these safes,” 
at the same time taking hold of the knob, and pulling it, to 
show me how securely and simply it was fastened ; when, 
lo, open came the door ! Mr. Latimer was confounded, 
and- I confess I was greatly surprised. It might have 
been that the robber that night found as easy access to 
the drawer as Mr. Latimer then. We examined the work- 
ing of the lock as well as we could, and found that some- 
thing must be deranged, for although it would, on turning 
the knob, give a thud,” as if the bolts were driven home", 
it did not always put them in place. Mr. Latimer had his 
safe repaired after that, and found some slide ” in the 
lock-work a little out of place. 

But I had gotten the ticket, and I told Mr. Latimer that 
we must work out the problem with that, or fail ; and I 
sent Mr. Latimer about to his debtors, who had paid him 
the stolen money, to see if any of them could remember the 
denominations of the bills, and by what banks issued, which 
they had given him. He found something in his search 
which seemed likely to serve me. I gave Mr. Latimer 
my theory of the case, and pointed .out to him the course 
I should pursue, and we concluded that a week would 
probably bring us to the determination to try longer, or 
would put us on the clear track of the robber or robbers, 
for there might have been more than one. Mr. Latimer 
authorized me, in case I saw fit, to offer a reward of five 
hundred or a thousand dollars for the robbers, or double 
these sums for the robbers and the money. 

My first step was to go to Baltimore, where I learned 
that the ticket v^as genuine, but I could not learn the 
name of the person to whom it was issued. I had ob- 
tained it, I represented, of a man who never bought tick- 
ets, and was curious to know of whom he got it : but it was 
of no use to inquire. They kept faith with their custom- 
ers. I could have inquired, with perhaps more success, of 
19 


NO. 1710 DRAWS. 


35 


the "agent in New York, but I dared not venture to see 
him. Some special friend of his might have bought that 
number, — “1710,’’ — and he would tell him of the inquiry, 
and the robber might suspect that he had lost it on Mr. Lati- 
mer’s premises. The New York agent had fortunately 
made his report to the “ general office ” in Baltimore a 
day or two before. I left the lottery office, baffied for a 
moment, but I soon laid a plan. If this ticket wins, — and 
I shall know by the drawn numbers as published in the 
papers immediately after the drawing, — then I will “lay 
in ” with the ticket agent, with the bribe or “ reward ” 
of five hundred or a thousand dollars, to help me detect 
the robber ; and if the ticket fails to win, I will make the 
ticket agent my confidant, and have him despatcli a note 
to the person to whom this ticket was sold, saying that 
“1710 ” has drawn a prize, to be paid on presentation of 
the ticket ; and in this way get the man into my clutches. 
So thinking to myself, I concluded to stop in Baltimore till 
after the drawing, which occurred three days from that 
time. 

As fortune had it, the ticket — “1710” — was lucky, 
and drew a prize of three thousand dollars. I went to the 
agent, and putting him under the seal of secrecy, with the 
prospect of five hundred dollars, and one half of the money 
drawn by the ticket besides, we arranged to catch the 
robber, if possible. The New York agency would claim 
the privilege of paying the three thousand dollars itself, 
for this would help to give it the reputation of selling 
lucky numbers, and increase its sales, and consequently 
its profits. Of course the New York agency was alive to 
its interests ; but where was the ticket ? The man to 
whom it was sold was expected to present it at once at 
the New York agency ; but it didn’t come, and he was 
advised of its having drawn a prize. But it was lost, he 
said; and the New York agency, desirous of making capi- 
tal for itself, ordered the payment of the prize money 
through it, advised with the home office. It was finally 


36 


CHARLES F. WORDEN. 


concluded that t!ie buyer miglit make affidavit, before a 
notary pul)]ic, of the fact that he purchased the ticket 
No. 1710; that lie liad not transferred it to anybody else ; 
that he had lost it, and when. And it was suggested that, 
as possibly the ticket might yet be presented by somebody 
who might have found it, it would be well for the buyer to 
state whether he had given it any private mark — his in- 
itials, or something else, — which is often done. This was 
done to excite the robber’s memory about it, and drew 
forth from him a statement that he had not marked the 
ticket, but remembered that it was clipped ” in a certain 
way, cutting into the terminal letter of a line across the 
end; which was just what we wanted, as it identified him, 
beyond a doubt, as the real purchaser. lie swore he had 
not transferred the ticket, but had lost it somewhere, as 
he alleged that he believed, on such a day (which chanced 
to be the very day on the night of which the robbery oc- 
curred), somewhere between the corner of Fulton Street 
and Broadway (where was located then a day gambling- 
saloon) and Union Square. This was indefinite enough for 
his conscience, I presume. Of course a name was signed 
to the affidavit, but how could we know that it was cor- 
rect? Together with this came the agent’s affidavit that he 
sold to such a person the ticket. AVe arranged that pay- 
ment should bo made to the affiant if the ticket was not 
presented by somebody else within a month > and if it were 
presented before that time, he should be informed, and the 
proper steps taken to secure him his money. This was 
communicated to the New York agency, and I left for 
New York to find out who was this Charles F. AVorden,” 
the purported purchaser of the ticket ; and the Baltimore 
agent came on to see the New York agent, and adroitly 
draw out of him a personal description of this AA^orden,” 
for we suspected that the agent and he were special 
friends. The Baltimore agent had no difficulty in execut- 
ing his part of the work, and indeed effected an inter- 
view with AVorden, whom, with the New York agent, he 


BALEFUL INFLUENCE OF SAMPLE UOOMS. 37 


treated to a superb supper at the Astor House. When 
he came to give me a detailed account of the fellow’s per- 
sonal appearance, 1 recognized him, especially by a curi- 
ous bald spot on the left side of the head, and which he 
took some pains to cover by pulling his long hair over it, 
— which, however, did not incline to stay there, — as the 
young man whom I had seen in the gambling saloon on the 
night that Mr. Latimer first consulted me at the Howard. 

I now felt quite sure of my game ; but was confident 
enough that I should find that the young man bore some 
other name than “ Worden.” Suffice it that it was the work 
of a couple of days only before I had my man in tow, knew 
all about him, his antecedents, etc. His family was good. 
He had been prepared for college, at the Columbia Col- 
lege Grammar School ; was a young man of fair average 
capacity, but by his dissipations managed to make him- 
self an eyesore to his family. His father, who was a well- 
to-do, if not rich merchant, doing business in Maiden Lane, 
had, in order to reform ” him, given him up,” and 
ordered him' to shirk for himself, something like a year 
before this. He went into a grocery store, being unable 
to get work elsewhere, and had done very well for three 
or four months ; but there was a private room in the back 
of the store where liquor was sold by the glass — one of 
those places which are now known by the felicitous name, 
Sample Rooms,” the disgusting frequency of which all 
over New York, and in many other cities, is so remark- 
able ; places which are really worse than the open bars 
of hotels, or the regular gin mills ” (if I may be permitted 
to use the vulgar phrase), because in these sly, half-private 
places is it that most young men learn to drink, and here 
it is, too, where many a man, too respectable to be seen 
frequenting the open liquor stores of his vicinity, steals 
in and guzzles his potations, on the sure road to a drunk- 
ard’s fate — failure in business, ruined constitution, and 
final poverty and disgrace. Here the young man, “ Wor- 
den,” as he now called himself^ had fallen in with genial 


38 


THE ^^SOLITUDE OF A GREAT CITY: 


company, who came to his employers to buy groceries,’’ 
and to drink, and among them had made the acquaintance, 
in particular, of a down-town banker,” who boarded in 
the vicinity of the grocery, which was on the corner of 

Bleecker Street and . This banker was a fascinating 

fellow, and young Worden soon fell in love with him. By 
and by he found out what sort of a banker ” was his 
new-made friend — the same who kept the day gambling- 
rooms on the corner of Fulton and Broadway. It is as- 
tonishing how little one ihay know of the business of his 
neighbors whom he meets every day in New York, unless 
he takes special pains to find out. The solitude of a 
great city ” is no mere Byronic fancy. One could hardly 
be more solitary in the dense woods than a man may be 
in the midst of the throngs of men and women he may 
meet in New York. He sees them**— that is all. His 
heart is closed to them, and theirs to him, as much as if 
they were in China, and he the ^Mone man” on some 
island of the West Indies. So that “ banker” passed for 
a rich, active, business man, in the vicinity, of Bleecker 

Street and , within less than a mile, perhaps, of this 

nefarious den. Young Worden was easily led on till he 
got to neglecting his business when sent out on errands, 
or down town to the wholesale grocers ; and finally the gro- 
cer discharged him for neglect of business ; and how he had 
lived since then was a mystery to his old companions, who 
found him afterwards always better dressed. The secrets 
of his history, from the time of his discharge up to the 
time of the robbery, as I finally learned them, would form 
an interesting chapter by themselves, but are out of place 
here. An incident in his career, however, may yet find 
place in these papers, because it was interlinked with an 
extraordinary case which at another time I worked up, and 
of which I have made note, in order, if my space permit, 
to recite it in this work. It must suffice now, that de- 
spair, resulting from the loss of money at the gambling- 
table, and which he was not for some days able to win 


FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS. 


39 


back, though he hazarded his last dollar, drove the young 
man to commit a small robbery, or theft, from the purse of 
one of his fellow-boarders, when the latter was asleep one 
night. The full success of this hardened him, and led 
him on. If detection could always follow the first offence, 
the number of criminals would be far less. But few will 
“ persevere beyond a detection, if it comes early enough 
in their career. 

I had made sure of my man. But he was not caught 
yet, by any means ; besides, the Baltimore agent and I had 
something further to do together. Upon him depended 
much. I had the ticket in my possession, and the young man 
had sworn to it — identified it in his affidavit, to be sure ; 
but he would insist that he lost it, and that somebody who 
found it must have robbed the safe, if we should pounce 
upon him now. So I went to ^Ir. Latimer, and managed to 
take him, in proper disguise, to a gambling saloon, which this 
young man frequented, and he thought he recognized him 
as one oT the persons standing near him on the day the money 
for the hay was paid him in Jersey City ; and before we left 
the saloon, — staid half an hour perhaps, — Mr. Latimer 
was quite willing to swear to the young man’s identity as 
one of those present at the hay transaction. But this would 
not be enough to convict the young man, unless we could 
find some of the stolen money upon him, or among his effects, 
which I felt sure we should do, for I saw that he was gam- 
bling those days sparely, like one who means to win, and 
keep what he wins. I reasoned that the robbery had giv- 
en him a snug little capital ,* that he felt his importance as 
a “ financial man,” and that perhaps he was resolving to 
gamble but little more, give up his old associates, and with 
what he had, and what he would obtain from the lottery, 
go into business, and perhaps win his way back into his 
father’s favor. And I reasoned rightly, as a subsequent 
confession of the young man proved. 

In his investigations among the creditors who had paid 
him the sum stolen, Mr. Latimer had found out a fact on 


40 


MANAGING TO GET A GOOD SHARE. 


which I was relying for aid in the course of the work, as 
I have intimated before ; and resting on that becoming 
important in the line of evidence, I repaired to Baltimore, 
and told the general agent that I thought it time now to 
draw matters to a close. We arranged our plans. The 
New York agent was informed that the ticket had been 
presented at the general office, and the prize demanded J 
that it would be necessary for the young man and himself 
to come on to Baltimore to meet the presenter of the tick- 
et, and that he was to call again in three days. The gen- 
eral agent was in great glee over the matter ; for I had 
arranged with him that he should have the whole of the 
three thousand dollar prize as his own, if he would not 
demand the five hundred dollars reward of me, in case the 
matter worked out rightly, and we managed to get back 
a good share of the money stolen from the young man. 
He Avas for attacking the young man at once, as soon as 
we could get him into the private office, and charging him 
with the robbery of Mr. Latimer’s safe ; overAvhelming him 
with the history of his being that day in Jersey City, and 
showing him the trap we had set to get him to identify 
the ticket so minutely, etc.; but I feared that the young 
man might not be so easily taken aback, and we agreed 
to wait for something else Avhich might, in the negotiation, 
turn up. I had not informed the agent yet of what Mr. 
Latimer had discovered in his investigations about the kind 
of money paid him, but had arranged with the agent that 
if things came to the proper point he should offer to pay 
the young man by a draft on New York, and should say 
to him, that if it would be convenient he Avould rather 
make the draft for three thousand and five hundred dollars, 
and let the young man pay him five hundred dollars, as 
that amount Avould draw out all his deposit, and close ac- 
count with the bank in question, he having determined to 
do his business with another bank. So much I had asked 
which he said he Avould do ; and duly the young man and 
the agent came on. We had a private conference; I be. 


ON A TOM-POOL'S ERRAND. 


41 


ing disguised, with spectacles and all, as the legal counsel- 
lor of the lottery men. The agent from New York was 
present. I had asked the young man many questions 
about the ticket, heard the New York agent’s story, and 
given my advice to the Baltimore man to pay it to him, 
but to send for the “ other man ” who held the ticket, and 
who was said to be waiting the result of things. So the 
New York agent was politely asked to take a note to a man 
quite a distance off from the lottery office, and whom the 
agent had informed that he might receive a note that day, 
and instructed what to do in such case. The man was a 
store-keeper ; was very polite to the New York agent ,* bade 
him be seated in the counting-room, and he would send his 
boy out to bring in the man indicated in the note. The New 
York agent was told to be sure to get the man, wait till he 
could bring him along with him, “ if it takes three hours,” 
said the Baltimore agent, as the New York man went off. 

“Yes, yes; depend on my doing the business right,” 
responded the New York agent, as he went off on his tom- 
fool’s errand. 

Papers were given the young man to read, and we chatted 
together a little ; the lottery agent having gone to work at 
his business desk in the next room. A half hour passed, 
and then — “ This is dull business. I must go to my office, 
and come back if needed,” said I to the lottery agent, as 
I opened the door into his room. “ When shall I return ? ” 
“ Stay ; he’ll be back soon.” “ No,” said I ; “ I’ll go, and 
return.” “Well, please don’t be long away,” — and he 
gave me a significant look, which the young man, of 
course, did not see. I went off, and returning in about a 
quarter of an hour, called the agent into the private 
room, and said, “ See here ! a new phase in affairs. I found 
that man waiting at my office to consult me about the 
ticket. He said he knew I was your attorney, and would 
advise him what was best ; he didn’t want any fuss about 
it. This was after I told him I was quite sure that the 
ticket was the property of young Mr. Worden here; and 


42 


A BUSINESS TEANSACTIQN. 


the matter is left entirely with me. See ! I have the tick- 
et here ; do you recognize it?’’ asked I of Worden, present- 
ing it to him. He started up, looked at it, and with a 
face full of joy, exclaimed, The very same : don’t you 
remember how I described this slip here in my affidavit ? ” 

Well, Mr. Worden, as the matter is left with me, I have 
no doubt the 'ticket is yours ; and of course the agent will 
pay you the prize. Yes, of course,” said the agent ; ^^stay 
here, since you are here, and I’ll make the due entries, etc., 
get the money, and be back.” He closed the door behind 
him; and as it was a late hour, drawing near closing time, 
told the clerks he’d give them a part of a holiday ; and bade 
them to be on hand early next morning. A good deal of 
work to do to-morrow, you know,” said he, as he smilingly 
bowed them out. 

Presently, after a delay, however, which I was fearful 
would excite the young man’s curiosity, if nothing more, 
the agent came into the room, and told Worden that he 
found it would be inconvenient to pay the three thousand 
dollars that afternoon in money, and then proposed to him 
to take the draft on New York, of which I have before 
spoken. Worden compliantly fell in with the suggestion ; 
said he would cash the draft for the balance. He was 
anxious, he said, to get on to New York as soon as might 
be ; and, by the way,” said he, '' where’s my friend, Mr. 
? ” — (the New York agent.) Ah,” replied the Balti- 
more agent, he’s waiting at the place to which I sent 
him for the man.” Well,” turning to his watch, there’ll 
be time to send for him before the next train north, after 
we have settled the matter.” He went to his desk, drew 
the check, came in and handed It to Worden, who, laying 
it on the table, proceeded to take out his wallet, which I 
noticed was heavily loaded. He selected five one hundred 
dollar bills and handed them to the agent, who stepped 
into the next room, as if to deposit them in his safe, say- 
ing, I’ll be back in a moment, Mr. Worden. Step in here, 

^ Counsellor,’ ” said he to me, and tell me how I am to make 


THE ARREST. 


43 


this entry ’’ — for the want of something better to say. 
I followed, and ho showed me the notes. We ‘Miad’’ the 
young man ! Four of the notes bore on their back, in writ- 
ing, the business card of one of the men who had paid Mr. 
Latimer money on that day ; tlie notes were of the Bank 
of America, such as he had told Mr. Latimer he had drawn 
that day from bank, and he had indorsed his card on them 
not an hour before he paid him. His account was new 
with that bank. He had no other than six of those one 
hundred dollar notes, so I saw our game was sure, and I 
said instantly, Go in and ask Worden if he can’t give you 
two fifties, or five twenties for this note,” taking up the one 
not bearing the business card. He did so, and I followed, 
and instantly that Worden drew his purse to accommodate 
him, I suddenly knocked the purse from his hand, and 
caught Worden by the throat — No noise, you villain! 
You are caught! You are the scoundrel who robbed Mr. 
Latimer’s safe. I’ve traced you, and you are splendidly 
trapped ! ” I exclaimed. 

He made some exertions to get from my grasp, but I 
held him firmly ; waited a moment or two that the first 
flush of excitement might pass from him, and led him to a 
chair ; gave him his history in brief ; and in a short manner 
showed him how he was caught. Meanwhile the agent, at 
my request, was searching and counting the money in the 
purse which he picked up as 1 knocked it out of Worden’s 
hands. Here’s another one hundred dollar bill with Bor- 
dell’s card 6h it,” said he. (The card was Rufus Bordell, 
Optician, and Mathematical Instrument Maker, 173 Bow- 
ery, N. Y.,” as my notes read. It was notan unusual thing 
in those days, though I always thought it a foolish one, for 
men to indorse all the new bills that came into their pos- 
session with their business addresses, as a mode of adver- 
tisement. Poor Mr. Bordell ! He was an Englishman, and 
was making a trip to England to visit his relatives on board 
the ill-fated Pacific steamer in her last trip out, which went 
to sea, and was never heard of after.) Well, Worden saw 


44 


VnOMISING TO HE FORM. 


that he was caught, and there was no escape for liim. We 
found he had over three thousand dollars in money with 
him, and he agreed to go to New York with us and get 
wliat remained of the rest, which he said was all he had 
taken except six or eight hundred dollars, and he thought 
he could manage to raise that amount too, if I would not 
prosecute him. The vision of State Prison Avas too much 
for his nerves. He wanted to go unmanacled ; and so I 
insisted on the agent’s accompanying me to help watch him. 
However, he could never have g^t away from me alone, 
for I should have felled him at once to the ground had he 
tried, and 1 was sure he had not been in the business long 
enough, or done enough at it, to have pals ” to assist him. 
In fact, he said he never had any comrades in crime. 

The agent arranged his affairs; sent word to the NeAV 
York agent that he was suddenly called to New York, and 
Avould see him tliere the next day, and Ave left Baltimore 
for NeAv York by the next train. The young man kept 
his promise to us ; not onl}^ got the money left out of his 
robbery, but raised of a “ friend,” Avhom Ave all visited, 
scAmn hundred and ten dollars, Avhich Ave found Avas the 
deficit; gave up the lottery ticket to the agent (avIio 
had the honor, however, to pay liiin back the sum he paid 
for the ticket), and Ave let him go. 

I hardly knoAV Avhether I ought to state Avhat 1 am about 
to or not; but it may encourage some reader of this avIio 
may be inclined to a life like that Avhich young “ Worden ” 
Avas then leading, to refoian. Worden ” saAV the situa- 
tion of things, thanked us for our kindness, and begged 
me to never mention his real name. (T had not communi- 
cated it to the agent or to Mr.^ Latimer, and have never 
since told it to either or to anybody). He promised to re- 
form at once, and go to Avork, hoAvever humble the situa- 
tion. He did so, and in two or three years Avon his Avay 
back into his father’s smiles, conducted business in NeAv 
York for a Avhile after that, and is noAv a prominent and 
Avealthy man of Chicago. I met him not over ten months 









''/' 77 - 










/.//////.mmM//, 


'V///'//. 






# 


SEIZURE OF YOUNG WORDEN IN BALTIMORE. - “No noise, you villain! you are caught, 




.,s = - • 


now DID HE GET IN? 


47 


ago from this writing, and enjoyed his hospitality. “ You 
saved me,’’ said he. And that was all that was said be- 
tween us about the robbery. 

The Baltimore agent drew the prize for No. 1710, and it 
was none of the Lottery Company’s business that he pock- 
eted it. 

When I carried the money back to Mr. Latimer, he was 
astonished, and insisted that I take the reward of one thou- 
sand dollars, which, as he was rich, I did accept. I never 
told him how we let the fellow escape, but satisfied him 
on that point. 

But,” said he, “you haven’t told me what you learned 
about how he got into the safe.” 

“ No, for the scamp was in as much doubt about it as 
we ; he thought that the lock turned easily, if it turned 
at all. Pie pulled, and the door came open, and afterwards, 
on looking at the key he tried it with, thought it curious 
that it could have raised the spring. Probably the safe 
was not locked.” 

“ But how did he get in, and do it so secretly, my wife 
and I lying right there ? ” pointing to the adjoining bed- 
room. 

“ 0, he says you were both snoring away so that no- 
body in the house could have heard him if he’d made ten 
times the noise he did.” 

“I — do — not — believe — it,” said Mr. Latimer, with 
an emphatic drawl, and more seriousness of face than I 
had seen him exhibit over his loss even. “ I never caught 
her snoring in my life. She says I snore sometimes. I’ll 
call her, and tell her the story.” 

Mrs. Latimer came .in ; the snoring matter was set- 
tled in a joke, and I was made to stay and take a private 
supper with them, which, in due time, was served in superb 
order ; and I left that house to go home at last with a firm 
friend in Mr. Latimer, who has never failed to send me 
business, when he could command it, from that day. 

Ho is ignorant pf the young robber’s real uamo to this 


48 


A GOOD CITIZEN, 


day ; and, indeed, said he did not care to know it ; when, 
four years after the occurrence, as he was one day 
badgering me to satisfy his curiosity on that point, I told 
him the man had reformed, and was made a good citizen 
of, indirectly through the flicts that the safe was probably 
unlocked that night, and that he and his wife snored so 
loudly. 


LEWELLYN PAYNE AND THE COUNTER- 
FEITERS. 


AN IDLE TIME — A CALL FROM MY OLD “ CHIEF ” — THE CASE IN HAND 
OUTLINED — I DISCOVER AN OLD ENEMY IN THE LIST OF COUNTERFEIT- 
ERS, AND LAY MY PLANS — TAKE BOARD IN NINETEENTH STREET, AND 
OPEN A LAW OFFICE IN JAUNCEY COURT — MAKE THE ACQUAINTANCE 
OF MRS. PAVNE, LEWELLYN’S MOTHER, AND FINALLY GET ACQUAINTED 
WITH HIM — HE VISITS MY LAW OFFICE — I AM INGRATIATED IN HIS 
FAVOR — I TRACK HIM INTO MY ENEMY’s COMPANY, AND FEEL SURE 
OF SUCCESS — LEWELLYN FINALLY CONFESSES TO ME HIS TERRIBLE 
SITUATION — CERTAIN PLANS LAID — I MAKE “ COLLINS* ” ACQUAINT- 
ANCE — VISIT A GAMBLING SALOON WITH HIM — A HEAVY WAGER — 
FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS AT HAZARD, PAYNE’S ALL — THE COUN- 
TERFEITING GAMBLERS CAUGHT TOGETHER — A SEVERE STRUGGLE — 
PAYNE SAVED AT LAST, AND HIS MONEY TOO — A REFORMED SON AND 
A HAPPY MOTHER TWO “ BIRDS ” SENT TO THE PENITENTIARY. 

There had been a lull in business for a time with me 
soon after I had left an organized force of private detec- 
tives, and with the promised assistance of some friends, 
mercantile and otherwise, whom I had served more or 
less, under the (direction of the chief of the corps to which 
I belonged, had taken a private office, and was beginning 
to wish that I was not so much my own master,^’ and 
had more to do. 

During those days I tried to divert my mind with much 
reading, and one day, poring over De Quincey’s “ Opium 
Eater,” I was half buried in oblivion to all particular 
things around me, though wonderfully aroused to a sweet 
sensuousness of all things material, when my old chief 
entered my office. I was not a little surprised to see him, 
for it had been weeks since I had met him, and that casual 


4 


50 


BREAK UP THE GANG. 


meeting was the first time I had seen him since my resig- 
nation from the corps. 

“ Good day, my boy,’’ said he, giving me a hearty grasp 
of the hand. He looked weary and worn. I thought he 
looked vexed,_too, about something, and I asked, ‘‘Well, 
what’s up? What ails you? Are you unwell ? ” “No,” 

said he, “ not unwell ; in fact, never in better health ; but 
business annoys me. I’ve been on a scent for some par- 
ties for quite a while, and I can get nobody to do what I 
want done. Report of failure to find out what 1 want has 
just been rendered an hour ago, and 1 have come down 
to see if you can’t help me out.” 

“ Tell me your story,” said I. “ But I don’t suppose 1 
can accomplish anything for you if Wilson, Baldwin, or 
Harry Hunt” (detectives of rare ability on his corps) 
“have failed.” 

“ They have,” said he, “ signally ; but I believe the mat- 
ter can be worked out readily, though you will have to 
take your time at it. The case is this : There’s a lot of 
blacklegs and counterfeiters, some of whom you know, 
whose den I want to find out. That’s all. They are pass- 
ing more or less counterfeit money these days. What I 
want is not to detect any one of these by himself, but to 
capture the whole of them in their den — gobble them 
all up at once, and break up their gang ; and now 1 
think 1 have a key to their hiding-place, which, if I 
can get anybody to work it well, will open in upon 
them.” 

“ Well, give me the particulars, and your general in- 
structions, and I’ll try it.” 

“ You know,” said he, “ that some of it may be desper- 
ate work, and that’s one reason why I want you — steady 
hand, and cool head, and time enough, must succeed in this 
business. Here is a minute description of five of the 
gang. Look it over,” pulling from his side pocket a pa- 
per. “ There, you know tliis first one, Harry Le Beau. 
We dealt with him, you know, two years ago ; and the 


A DISCOVERY. 


51 


next I guess you don’t know. In fact, I reckon you don’t 
know any of the rest.” 

1 was studying over the personal descriptions ; mean- 
while the chief went talking on, I paying little heed 
further to what he was saying. Coming to the last on the 
list, Mont Collins ! ” — Mont Collins? ” — I don’t know 
the name, but the description just suits another person ; 
rather, just suits the character himself, for I knew, of 
course, that “ Collins ” was one of any number of aliases. 
“ This is a particular friend of mine,” said 1. His name 
used to be Bill Blanchard, and — and — well,” without say- 
ing any more, I’ll undertake the job ; and, by Heavens ! ” 
said I, I’ll succeed,” for I had been warming up out of 
my opium reverie from the instant my eye fell upon the 
description of “ Collins,” with an indignation and a hope 
of revengeful triumph over this villain, who had now 
taken a step in counterfeiting, or in passing counterfeit 
money*, where I could, if successful, get him confined 
within the walls of a prison, and pay him for his vile ini- 
quities. 

You have encountered this scoundrel before, it seems,” 
said the chief, noticing the glow upon my face. 

No, not I ; but a relative of mine. I can’t tell you 
the story now. I’ll follow him to the death. No stone 
shall remain unmoved in this business.” 

‘‘lam glad you have a peculiar incentive, and I feel 
that you are sure to succeed ; but I have not given you 
the key yet. May be it will serve you. Perhaps you can 
get a better one, and won’t need to use it,” said the chief. 

“ Give it me,” said I, by all means. A straw, even, 
might servo to point the way ; and if the rest are as des- 
perate and cunning as ‘ Collins,’ I shall need all the lielp 
and advice possible to work up the job,” said I. 

So the chief went on to say, “ It is very evident that 
these fellows have an important victim in a young man, 
by the name of Lewellyn Payne, from Kentucky, who 
came to New York some months ago, reputed to be very 


52 


AN ANXIOUS MOTIIJiR. 


rich, and had always at first about him money enough ; 
but he has become reckless. He’s a fine-looking fellow, 
of good address, and how he allowed such a vile gang to 
get liold of him, I don’t see ” — 

But 1 do,” said I, interposing. Collins is as keen 
and genteel a villain as the city holds,” said I. 

'' May be,” said tlie chief; '' but the rest of them are 
only cutthroats, without a particle of grace to save 
them.” 

But they cannot be worse at heart than he,” I re- 
sponded. “ He has chosen his crew for his own purposes 
— fit instruments for his style of villany.” 

Well, you think you know him. I hope you do, and 
can manage him ; but I’ll tell you about this Payne. They 
have drained his purse, I think; in fact, I’ve had him 
watched, and have found out that he is greatly in their 
debt. They hold his notes, and he is about to sell prop- 
erty in Kentucky to meet them. At least this- is my 
translation of Hunt’s report from him. Hunt cultivat- 
ed ” him for a while, but we couldn’t find out anything 
from him in regard to the gang’s rendezvous.” 

Well, what am I to do? Where does he live, this 
Payne ? ” 

In West 19th Street, No. — , corner Sixth Avenue. 
He and his mother board there.” 

“ 0, ho,” said I ; his mother ! Does she know any- 
thing about her son’s dissipations?” 

“Yes; it was she who came to me first about him, — 
says her heart is broken, and that something must be 
done to save her son. She can learn but little from him ; 
but says he’s away a great deal all night, and sleeps 
mostly during the day ; that she fears he’s gambled away 
most of his property, etc.” 

“ Then she can be approached upon the subject. Well, 
I see the way clear. I must make his acquaintance with- 
out his knowing why. I may make such uso of your 
name as I please?” 

20 


PL A YING THE LA WYEll. 


53 


“ Certainly/’ 

Before night that day 1 was fortunate enough to secure 
board at the house in 19th Street, though I did have to 
accept a room a little farther up toward the sky than i 
desired, with the assurance that I should have the first 
vacant room below. My first business was to effect a 
meeting with the lady, Mrs. Payne, which I found but 
little difficulty in doing. The poor woman, who was a 
model of elegance and matronly character, was greatly 
moved when she came to tell me of her son’s wanderings 
from the strict path of morality in which she had tried to 
rear him. Young Payne’s father had died some twelve 
years before, and she had taken her son Lewellyn to 
Europe to finish his education. Being of Scotch origin 
herself, and most of her relations residing in and about 
Edinboro’, she had taken him to the university there, 
whence, after leaving college, she went to the Continent 
with him. Finally, spending a season at Baden Baden, 
young Payne caught there the fashionable mania for gam- 
bling, which was proving his ruin. She was ready to 
spend liberally of her means in order to reform him, and 
wished me to spare no expense necessary in the course 
which I pointed out to her. I found it necessary to take 
an office or desk as a lawyer in Jauncey Court, out of 
Wall Street, and had some cards struck off, announcing 
myself as an attorney at law. Three or four days passed 
before I thought best to make the acquaintance qf the 
young man, the mother having stated to me, meanwhile, a 
legal matter of hers in Kentucky, on which I had taken 
advice, so as to be able to talk learnedly to the son. 

All being arranged, the mother told the son that she 
found they had a lawyer in the house, and had thought 
best to. consult him regarding the matter in Kentucky, and 
was pleased with his advice, but would like him (young 
Payne) to talk with the lawyer also. Through this means 
I made the acquaintance of young Payne next day, and 
invited him down to my office. He said he should have 


54 


A FRIENDLY WALK. 


occasion to go into Wall Street that very day, and would 
call about three P. M. Of course I was there, received 
him, spoke of the library, which was quite large, as mine, 
and played the lawyer to the best of my abilities. We 
went out to a restaurant together, and I allowed myself 
to accept his treat to a little wine ; and, in short, before 
reaching home that evening, for we went up town to- 
gether, I felt very certain that I had properly impressed 
young Payne with my consequence, and with the notion, 
too, that I was no blue-skin,” but ready always for a lit- 
tle fun.” 

Mrs. Payne looked a degree or two improved that even- 
ing when she saw how swimmingly" her son and I were 
getting on in our acquaintance. 

After supper, young Payne said he had an engage- 
ment out, and would bid me good evening. But 1 said, 

I am going out too ; perhaps our paths may lie along to- 
gether for a while. I am going down town.” 

So am I,” said he, and I should be pleased with your 
company as far as you may go.” 

I left the house with him, and we proceeded to Broad- 
way, and turned down, talking over many things, and 
managing to agree pretty well upon them all. At last, 
as we neared 8th Street, I thought I saw that young 
Payne was a little uneasy, as if wishing to shake me oft‘; 
and I said to him, W ell, good evening, Mr. Payne,” offer- 
ing him my hand. “ My course leads this way,” pointing 
to the left, and turning in that direction. I suppose you 
keep down farther.” 

Yes,” said he, am going on farther,” and bowing 
me an adieu, for the while,” he passed on, and I kept a 
good look out for him, for I scented ” that he expected to 
meet somebody not far from that point. Dropping into a 
saloon near by, where a friend of mine was engaged, I left 
my stove-pipe ” hat, and pulled from my pocket a thin 
“ slouched ” hat, which I carried for occasion, and taking 
the opposite side of the street from Payne, kept him in 


MA N—CniMK—CinCirMSTA NCKS. 


55 


sight till he passed into the New York Hotel, when 1 
crossed over, and entered. 1 had hardl}" done so before 
he, returning from the back portion of the hall in company 
with another, passed by me. His companion was evidently 
telling him a funny story, for he laughed quite loudly, and 
was hitting Payne, as if in glee, upon his shoulder. I 
knew my man, both by his voice and face, which was partly 
concealed by the manner in which he, at this moment, had 
fixed his hat upon his head. He was unmistakably 
Blanchard, alias ‘‘ Collins,’^ and my blood was up. Blan- 
chard, the vifiain, had ruined the husband of my cousin 

Elizabeth . ‘‘ Bettie,’^ as we familiarly called her, was 

one of the sweetest women I ever saw, — my most cher- 
ished cousin, of whom I was proud in every sense, — and 
the griefs which bore her down, in the ruin of her hus- 
band, pierced my heart, and I resolved to be avenged, if 
possible, upon this villain Blanchard, who had worked her 
husband’s downfall, and robbed him of every dollar. The 
husband had been at one time in the enjoyment of a lucra- 
tive trade, as a merchant of woollen goods, and had a fine 
standing with some of the best manufacturers in Ehode 
Island and elsewhere, and was on what seemed the sure 
road to a great fortune, when he unluckily fell into the 
clutches of Blanchard. Indeed, I too had suffered by 
Blanchard, to no small extent for me, having been in- 
dorser of some of my cousin’s paper, which went to pro- 
test, and which I had at last to pay. I do not allow my- 
self to cherish enmity against my fellow-man. The detec- 
tive soon learns to not be surprised at finding the man of 
the best reputation frequently involved in crime, and he 
comes to look with charity upon the faults, and even the 
crimes, of his fellow-men. Comparatively, men do not, in 
society, differ at heart so greatly as the uninitiated might 
imagine. But few men are proof against the wiles of 
circumstances.” No man can really tell what he would 
have done, or would not have done, had he been placed in 
these or those circumstances by which some other man 


56 


A TELL-TALE IIAGGARDNESS. 


iias been led on to a career of crime, or to some dark 
deed. But I could never wholly suppress my longing for 
vengeance whenever Blanchard came into my mind, and 
on this occasion my temper was quite as intense as I could 
well control. 

I turned when P^iyne and his friend had passed a proper 
distance on, and taking the sidewalk, followed them near 
to a house in Houston Street, which I saw them enter. 1 
did not know the character of the house then, but was 
satisfied that it was a hell ’’ of some sort — a genteel one, 
for its outward appearances indicated as much ; but I made 
myself acquainted with the probable character of the place 
before I returned to my boarding-house that night. 

The next day Payne was not up till two o^clock in the 
afternoon, and I feigned illness enough to delay me at 
home that day, in order to make further study of him. 
When he came into the general parlor, I saw that there was 
a peculiar haggardness about his countenance, not such as 
over-drinking or ordinary mere dissipation gives. To me 
it was a tell-tale haggardness, and I felt I knew full well 
that he was on the last plank, and just about to be sub- 
merged beneath the waves of irretrievable ruin. So he 
looked, so he felt, too, of course. I entered into conver- 
sation with him, drew out some of his experiences in New 
York, and gradually led him on to the disclosure of some 
pretty serious confessions. At last he told me that he had 
run a wild career, but had made up his mind to reform, 
and find some useful employment. ‘‘ But,’’ said he, Pve 
promised myself to do so a thousand times before, and 
have failed as often to make a beginning.” 

“ I know your case,” said I. “ I’ve known a great many 
such. There’s always ground for hope, I assure you, so 
long as the desire to escape exists. But each case has its 
peculiarities. One case is never an exact representation 
of another, of course.” 

We carried on the conversation for a while longer, till 
we came to a point where Mr. Payne, in giving me a 


GETTING INTO PAYNE'S HEART. 


57 


description of some friends whom he had made since he 
came to New York, spoke of his friend “ Collins ” as a very 
brilliant, dashing fellow,’’ who was a nondescript for 
him, otherwise, in character. I was, of course, more inter- 
ested at this point than at any other, which must have 
been manifest at once to young Payne. He told me of 
some of his and Collins’ adventures. In all these I could 
clearly see the workings of the villain Blanchard, and I 
was several times on the point of uttering my full views 
to Mr. Payne, but I thought it an hour^too early in our 
acquaintance to do so, and so delayed to do it. 

Another day came. I was out all day away from the 
house, but not idle, for I managed to learn more of “ Col- 
lins’ ” or Blanchard’s proceedings for the last few months 
before, of his places of resort, etc. ; but when I returned 
at evening, before Mr. Payne’s usual hour for going abroad, 
I found him in great dejection ; and having opportunity to 
converse with him, approached him, and was soon invited 
to his room. It was not long before our conversation took 
such shape that I was^ able to breathe to him some of my 
suspicions. Payne listened with surprise; but I drew 
Blanchard’s modes of proceeding, his general character, 
etc., so accurately, that Payne became more than half 
convinced that “Collins” and Blanchard were one. In 
short, I got down into Payne’s heart before our conversa- 
tion concluded that evening. It was necessary for him to 
go forth again that niglit, or, I think, he would have held 
me in his room all night, reciting his adventures and run- 
ning over his mistakes. I saw that he was utterly ruined, 
beyond all hope, unless I could manage to get out of the 
hands of his captors a large number of collaterals, which 
he had for the space of three months past left in their hands, 
as security for promissory notes to a large amount whicV 
he had given them, and to pay which he was looking to 
the sale of some property in Kentucky, and for some divi- 
dends on stock in a manufactory in Cincinnati, which, how- 
ever, was itself pledged. Those were debts of honor, as 


58 


WKLL-nJlET) SCOUNDRELS. 


he, up to that moment, liad regarded them, and must be 
paid, no matter if paying them more than bankrupted him. 
Indeed, lie had played and lost far beyond the sum of his 
actual property, so desperate had he become in the mat- 
ter; and the gamblers, his elegant friends, were willing 
to show their gentlemanly confidence in him, and trusted 
him more, — the well-bred scoundrels. But I pointed out 
to him the fact that lie had (which was evident enough to 
me) been victimized by villains who never play an honor- 
able game of hazard ; indeed, avIio never play a game of 
hazard at all, since all is in their hands and under their 
perfect control. When he came to see this, and reflect 
upon each step, and saw how the thing had been done, and 
also that, as his memory, now excited, called all vividly be- 
fore him, when he had lost heavily with the gang they had, 
without doubt, in every instance played a false game, the 
dark shades deepened in his face. 

Mr. Payne became at first very serious, but at the close 
of our conversation I saw that his mind had become quite 
calm : he was very deliberate. The muscles about his 
mouth assumed a firmer expression. I could easily see 
that he was meditating some way of revenge on the scoun- 
drels who would have gladly ruined him in all respects, as 
they had already done in some. Finally he said to me. 
You seem to understand all about these villains. How 
came you to know them so well ? Have you ever been 
victimized by them ? ” 

“No, not victimized ; but I came to learn these cJiarac- 
ters through my profession. Professional men are com- 
pelled to know more or less of them, and it has been my lot 
to be greatly interested ; in fact, somewhat involved in a 
matter in which Blanchard, or, as you know him, ‘ Collins,’ 
was the principal actor ;. and Pll say to you here, that 
it would give me the keenest pleasure to give you any aid 
in my power as against that wretch.” 

Mr. Payne’s time for going out that evening had come, 
and I left the house at the same time with him, hoping 


iN THK JiKER GARDEN. 


59 


that he would do something, or that something would oc 
cur on my walk with him, to further my projects. Bu 
we parted that evening with nothing done. But next day 
Payne came to me at my office in Wall Street about twelve 
o’clock. He was uneasy, and did not wish to sit down to 
talk, and asked me if I would walk with him. We sallied 
out up to Broadway, and along it ; got to Courtlandt Street, 
when he said, Somehow I feel a great inclination to go 
down to the water. Suppose we go over in the ferry to 
Jersey City.’’ 

Of course I was ready to humor him, for I well knew 
the agitated state of his mind ; and down to the dock and 
over the river we went, and arriving in Jersey City, 
Payne having no special point of destination, we wandered 
the streets and talked. He told me his whole story over, 
as of the night before, and added to it many touching inci- 
dents. Help me now, I beg you, if you can.” I asked him 
if this gang dealt in counterfeit money at all, and found that 
he knew nothing about it. This was a relief, in one sense, to 
me, and a surprise in another ; and I thought, “ Perhaps I 
may be mistaken after all.” But we planned, as the result 
of our day’s conversation, that, as a first step, he should 
take ‘‘ Collins ” that evening into the Atlantic Beer Gar- 
den,” in the Bowery, to take beer (of which he said Collins 
was very fond, not drinking anything else intoxicating), to 
treat him, and I should come in carelessly, but unexpected- 
ly, upon him. And he should present me at once to 
Collins ” as Mr. “ Wilson,” the name I had assumed on 
my legal card, but which I did not explain the reason for at 
that time to Mr. Payne. 

That night I came upon the twain at the place proposed, 
where they were sitting at a table over pots of beer, and 
smoking, when I, darting in, called for a pot of beer ; and 
seeing Payne, pushed up to his table, extending my hand. 
Ah, here, eh ? Mr. Payne ; very glad to meet you ? ” 
Take a seat with us,” said he. This is my friend, Mr. 
Collins, Mr. Wilson.” 


lueet you. 


60 AN ACQUAINTANCE PICKED UP IN THE CITY. 


I looked into “ Collins’ ” eyes ; gave him a wink, as much 
to say, “ Mr. Payne thinks my name is Wilson ; you 
now better ; keep still.” Of course “ Collins ” was as anx- 
ious that I should not call him Blanchard, as I was that he 
should address me as Wilson. And,” he said, Mr. Wil- 
son — I am glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Wilson. 
Let’s fill up, Mr. Payne,” for their mugs were dry, “ and 
invite Mr. Wilson to take what he likes with us.” Thank 
you, gentlemen, but here comes my beer. Pll wait for 
you to fill up again.” I put Collins ” quite at ease, and 
we drank, and told stories, and sang a song or two. So 
well did Collins and I disguise the fact that we had ever 
heard of each other that Payne, as he afterwards told me, 
made up his mind soon that I had been utterly mistaken 
in the man. 

We had nearly finished our cups at the table, when 
Payne, spying a southern friend coming into the saloon, 
with a number of others, asked to be excused for a moment, 
and left us. 

The devil ! ” said Blanchard ; how did you come to 
know Payne ? ” 

“ 0, he is one of the acquaintances one picks up in the 
city, he hardly knows how.” 

“ Yes, yes; but as I happened, by the mistake of a par- 
tial acquaintance, to be introduced to him as ‘ Collins,’ 1 
have let it go so. I hope you’ll be as careful the rest of 
the evening to not call me Blanchard, as you have.” 

0, Ave are in the same boat, ‘ Collins,’ you see ! lie 
calls me ^ Wilson,’ and I let it go at that.” 

^‘But,” said Blanchard, “ I must say, ^Wilson,’ you are 
very complaisant, and I hardly thought you Avould speak 
to me at all.” 

O, Avell, Blanchard, Ave groAV Aviser as Ave groAV older. 
We don’t see things, generally, in the same light Ave used 
to.” 

True,” said he ; and I am glad to find you not 
unkindly disposed,” — and I doubt not that he Avas, for he 
14 * 




ATLANTIC BEER GARDEN. — PAYNE AND COLLINS* RENDEZVOUS. — ‘Ah, here, eh? Mr. Payne; very glad to meet you. 





IN THE COUNTERFEITERS' DEN. 


63 


well knew how I loved my cousin, and that I knew he was 
the cause of her husband’s downfall, and her greatest 
griefs. 

What are you doing these days ? ” asked B. 

Pve turned lawyer,” said I, and have an office on 
Wall Street. Here’s my card. Don’t like my profession 
over much, and so find time to speculate more or less.” 
(JBanchard had never known that I had become a detec- 
tive, fortunately. Though living in the same city ..we had 
been, practically, as wide apart as the poles.) 

What are you doing ? ” I asked in turn. 

Well, I am speculating, too, a little,” said he, with a 
half-inquiring wink in his eyes. 

I see you misinterpret me a little,” said I. Not so 
much either,” I continued, for I speculate in Wall Street 
some, and elsewhere some.” 

“ The fact is,” said ‘ Collins,’ I am getting to be very 
much attracted by sundry speculations, though I lose 
money as fast as I make it. I was on my way to-night on 
a little speculation. Perhaps you’d like to go along.” In 
paying for my beer I had purposely made display of all 
the money I had, — quite a pile, — and doubtless Collins^ 
gambling avarice was a little whetted, or he might not 
have invited me along. 

Payne returned to us ; and Collins telling him that he 
had invited me to accompany them “^for a little fun to- 
night,” we sallied forth, and were not long in crossing 
Broadway, and finding ourselves in a suite of rooms, which, 
as soon as I set my eyes on them, I understood as one of 
the worst of the second-class of gambling hells in the city. 

Roulette, dice, and the latter loaded, and every other 
appurtenance of such a place, as well as cards and a faro 
bank, were there. The whole air of the place, the men at 
play and about the boards, were assurance to me that I 
was on the right track of the counterfeiters; but I felt at 
once that the game I had to play was a desperate one ; that 
these fellows were the worst sort of cutthroats, 


64 


PAYNE’S MONEY. 


We both played a little, Payne and I ; but Collins played 
not at all that night, except the part of a particular “ friend 
to Payne in various ways. I lost considerable, Payne lost 
more, and his note was received on demand ; but still with 
the understanding that he was not to be asked to cash it 
till his Kentucky remittance came on. It was a part of my 
plan to play and lose a little that night, to furnish occasion 
to come again ; and Avhen we parted to go home, the gen- 
tleman ” of the establishment, to whom Collins had intro- 
duced me as Wilson, said, Mr. Wilson, now you\"e learned 
the way, drop in occasionally. Poor luck don’t run al- 
ways.” 

Ha, ha ! ” said I, gentlemen,” taking the matter good- 
humoredly. I’m not feeling very well to-night; but you 
can expect me around some time to break your bank when 
I am in good spirits.” 

That’s right, come along any time. We like bold play- 
ers, if they do clean us out sometimes ; nothing like 
spirit,” — and we bowed ourselves out. 

It was arranged by me and Payne, as we betook our- 
selves home, that he should continue to go there and play 
a little every night till his money came ; that then he 
should offer to play all his pile against his indebtedness to 
the concern, his notes of hand, and all the collaterals he 
^ad pledged. I knew the gamblers would catch at that, 
and count him a bigger fool than ever. I was to be there, 
and play too. Paynt3 continued to visit the place, played 
less and less each night, and at last declared to them that 
he would not be in again till his money came. And,” 
said he I’m going to take Wilson in, as my partner — he 
has a pile.” Meanwhile I reported to my old chief, and 
had all things arranged for a descent upon the place if I 
should be able to work the matter up to the proper point 
by the time Payne’s money came. The money came. 
Payne’s fifteen thousand dollars, in good money, I knew 
would be a temptation to the villains, although his indebt- 
edness to them had increased to over twenty-five thousand 


THE LAST STAKES ARRANGED. 


65 


dollars, and we went to the den ; I having my force of 
policemen in training, and ready for my call. It was a 
wet night. There was quite a nunlber of visitors in 
early in the evening; but they straggled home, as the 
rain increased, some not having umbrellas with them, and 
for various reasons, and we were left, eventually, almost 
alone with the regular keepers of the place ; and Payne 
was asked if his money had come? Yes, gentlemen, 
fifteen thousand dollars of it ; all I shall get for more than 
a year to come, and Pm going to hazard it all against my 
notes and the collaterals you hold.’’ 

All right,” said the leading genius of the place. All 
right,” said “ Collins,” aloud ; but he stepped up to Payne, 
and kindly whispered in his ear, ‘‘ But would you do it? I 
wouldn’t hazard it now. Play half for half, say; for if 
you should lose all, you know — well, do as you like.” 

“ Yes, I will do as I like — I’ll play all.” There was a 
smile of fiendish B iumph then on Collins’ face, which Payne 
did not see, but I did, and I couldn’t help feeling a pulse 
of vengeance beating in my heart as I contemplated how 
soon the scoundrel’s face might change its expression. 
Payne’s money was put up ; one game was to decide the 
whole. His notes were put up on the table, by the other 
side, to the amount of fifteen thousand dollars. 

But where are the rest? ” said he. No trifling ; and 
where are the collaterals ? ” and there was bickering about 
the understanding, and I was appealed to. “ I did not wish 
to interfere,” I said ; but that '' I understood it was to be 
a clean sweep. But as there was a misunderstanding, 
perhaps ’twasn’t best to play at all to-night ; wait for 
another occasion, and Payne take his money and go.” 

The gamblers saw it was of no use to pretend further 
misunderstanding, and that Payne’s money was likely to be 
more readily “ gobbled up ” then than if they were to 
wait, and consented to put all on the table, though as the 
collaterals were packed away and locked in the safe, they 
proposed to put money up instead — ten thousand dollars, 

6 


66 


A RING AT THE DOOR-BELL. 


No, no/’ said Payne, 1 want to see the whole on the 
table. I want to look at ’em once more. There’s my 
Harry Clay watch ” (a very fine five hundred dollar watch) ; 

want to look her in the face again — play better, I tell 
you, gentlemen, in her smiles ; ” and so he went on. I was 
at the instant disposed to favor him ; but on second thought 
I suspected that that money would be mostly, if not wholly 
counterfeit, and I saw if it was, how I would trap the 
scoundrels, and save Payne’s fifteen thousand too, as well 
as get up his notes and all his collaterals ; and I interposed. 

No need, Mr. Payne, of troubling to get out the collater- 
als. The money at hand’s just as good, and if you win you 
can buy back the collaterals.” 

“ Yes, yes, that’s it,” said Collins, eager now to see the 
foolish Payne slaughtered. The money was produced. 

Here, count it if you please, Mr. Wilson,” said Payne, 
as the first bundle of a thousand dollars was thrown upon 
the table. 

I caught it up carelessly, and ran it over rapidly. “ One 
thousand,” said I, all right ; and so with the next, and the 
next, till the fifth had been counted, when I said, Mr. 
Payne, there’s no use counting the rest ; I guarantee it all 
right.” It is not easy to deceive me with a counterfeit 
bill at any time ; but that night, alert and watchful, I could 
have sworn that more than nine tenths of the money I 
counted was counterfeit. The play came. I declined 
to join as ‘‘ partner ” of Payne, as he had called me. He 
played tremblingly. I began to fear that he would not 
hold out till the proper time for me to expect my men ; but 
he did, and just as tlie game was about concluding, disas- 
trously to him, there came a ring at the door-bell. The 
servant hurried down, and the excited gamblers bade 
Payne ^^play, play.” Up came a dandy-looking chap, ap- 
parently intoxicated. He was my man. He blundered 
around, took a little wine from the side-board, and said 
maudlin things ; staggered on to the board, made the gam- 
blers angry, one of whom drew a light cane over him. 1 


A PROFITABLE SEIZURE, 


67 


interposed, took his part,- said that they should excuse 
him ; if he was a fool, he was drunk ; should be pardoned 
if he asked pardon ; and, taking advantage of the black 
boy's absence in the exterior room, said, “ I’ll show him 
down, and get him out of the way.” Wilson, you are 
always so polite and obliging,” said Blanchard, facetiously, 
as I led out the stranger, who was very loath to go, and 
needed some encouragement. 

“ Just so,” said I. Don’t you think I’d make an excel- 
lent waiter here ? ” 

Yes, we must employ you. What do you want by the 
month ? ” 

Talk about that when I come up,” said I. 

We went down the stairs — two flights — but to return. 
I opened the door, the stranger ” gave the signal he had 
arranged with the rest of the men, and eight stalwart, well- 
armed policemen were in the house, and silently on their 
way up those stairs ; the stranger fighting me, and pulling 
me along up, making some noise, and more drunk than ever. 
“ Our friend won’t go out,” said I ; “ insists on staying.” 

D — n him ! Til put him out,” said one. “ No you won’t,” 
said the stranger, drawing a pistol, and calling out to our 
followers, who were just at our heels, “ Come on, boys ! ” 
and there was a rush into that room which startled every 
gambler to his feet, only to be throttled by a policeman. 
There were six of the villains, including Collins, and the 
policemen had no little trouble to silence them. The 
drunken stranger immediately seized all the money on 
the table, notes and all, and ordered the gamblers manacled 
on the spot, which was done. Payne then told them bis 
story (as I narrated before only in short), asked to have 
his collaterals delivered up. In short, the gamblers were 
ready for anything. The counterfeit money was in our 
hands, and the evidence complete. Payne got all his notes 
back, which were at once put in the grate and burned, and 
all his collaterals, his fifteen thousand dollars of money, and 
was satisfied. But I was not ; and a compromise was made 


68 


MEETING THEIR DOOM. 


that on the delivering up of all ?he counterfeit money they 
had about them the gang should give up the rooms and 
disperse, all but two of them, one of whom was my man 
Blanchard, and another desperate' scamp whom the police 
wanted to answer to a charge of burglary in Philadelphia. 
The safe was searched ; all its counterfeit money given 
up, and all the collaterals, with the names of parties who 
had pledged them for gambling debts, were delivered into 
the police’s hands. The rest were then allowed to escape ; 
but Blanchard, and Johnson (the Philadelphia burglar), 
were ironed and taken to the tombs. 

Blanchard ” was tried before the United States Court 
in due time, but under another name, which, unfortunately 
for his respectable relatives, became known as his proper 
one before the trial came on, and was sent for five years to 
Sing Sing. 

Johnson was, after due process of requisition by the 
governor of Pennsylvania, on the governor of New York, 
taken to Philadelphia, tried, and sent up for ten years. 

In a short time after the breaking up of this gang pro- 
ceedings were taken to find the parties to whom the col- 
laterals, other than Payne’s, belonged, in order to deliver 
them up. It took a good while to find and surely identify 
them ; and this delivery led to information regarding vari- 
ous matters which needed the keenest detectives to un- 
ravel. I was overrun with business, in consequence, for 
months after, incidents of which I may think best to relate 
in other papers. 

Mr. Payne was the happiest of men over his good fortune, 
and insisted on deeding to me some very valuable real 
estate in Kentucky, besides giving me more money than I 
had the face to ask. He became my fast friend, as he re- 
mains to-day. 

But there was a happier mortal than he in those days, 
in New York, when all came to be disclosed, and that was 
the beautiful, noble old lady, iiis mother, Mrs. Payne. She 
could hardly contain herself in her joy, when Lewellyn 


DESCENT UPON BLANCHARD AND THE GAMBLERS. — There was a rush, which started every gambler to his feet 








MR. PA YNE KEEPS HIS PLEEGE. 


71 


made clean confession of all his misdeeds, all his great sins, 
and pledged her that he would not only never play cards 
again for a cent, not even for fun — a, pledge which he sa- 
credly keeps to this day. His experiences were too great, 
. his sufferings had been too severe, to be forgotten ; and Mr. 
Payne, in due course of time, went into legitimate busi- 
ness, in which he has proven himself a very capable man. 

Good old Mrs. Payne lived happily with her reformed 
son for about four years and a half, and at last died of a 
fever, which followed a cold contracted one wet day, on 
Mount Washington, New Hampshire, where she and her son 
were passing a summer vacation, and her remains were 
taken back to Kentucky. I had the honor of accompany* 
ing Mr. Payne on his mournful journey there. 


THE GENEALOGICAL SWINDLE tS. 


OF ANCESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES — IT IS SOMETIMES MORE 
PmOFITABLE to OTHERS THAN TO THOSE WHO INDULGE IT — “PROP- 
ERTY IN CHANCERY ” — A WESTERN MERCHANT, HIS STORY, AND HOW 
HE TOLD IT — A FAMILY MEETING AT NEW HAVEN, AND WHAT A 
MEMBER LEARNED THERE — THE GREAT “LORD, KING, & GRAHAM ” 
SWINDLE — THE WAY IN WHICH THE FRAUD AVAS ACCOMPLISHED — 
A CUNNING LETTER FROM “ WILLIS KING,” OF THE FIRM OF “LORD, 
KING, & GRAHAM,” TO ONE OP HIS RELATIVES — THE CORRESPONDENCE 
OP THIS NOTED FIRM — THE SEARCH — THE TRAP LAID — THE SHARPERS 
CAUGHT, AND FOUND TO BE EDUCATED YOUNG MEN OP THE HIGHEST 
SOCIAL STATUS — THEY ARE MADE TO DISGORGE — A PARADOX, WITH 
A MORAL IN IT. 

The pride of ancestry is usually great among those 
whose ancestors possessed any traits of character worthy 
to be remembered, or did deeds of which history has 
made emblazoned record, or who held large estates, or 
were in other respects distinguished, — and justly great is 
this pride, perhaps. However, it is not to be overlooked 
that, as a general thing, how great soever the pride of 
the progeny may justly be, that of the ancestors would 
probably not have been extreme, in most cases. Could 
they have looked forward for a few generations, and seen 
what their successors in time were to be. It is not cer- 
tain that some of them Avould have refused to have suc- 
cessors at all, and might not in very shame have betaken 
themselves to the cloister, in. celibacy, or forsworn their 
mistresses altogether. And could their ancestors have 
foreseen that even their greatness would be overshadowed 
by tbe large or small estates which they might leave, 
21 


A MR. KING PRESENTS IflMSELP. 


73 


what would have been their disgust or displeasure, is left 
to us to conjecture. 

But a “ pride of ancestry ” has developed itself in this 
country, which, if it is not altogether profitable to those 
exercising it, is sometimes made so to others ; to lawyers 
who seek fortunes for others, and who, for due fees, are 
ready to hunt up “ estates in chancery in England, and 
find them, too, if they are there, — which is the only re- 
quisite for the finding, except the fees. At sundry times 
many families get it into their heads that there ought to 
be property of their ancestors preserved somewhere for 
them, and talking up the matter among themselves, get 
feverish over it, and finally assure themselves that such 
property exists, and that it is their first duty to procure 
it. Such people become an easy prey to speculating law- 
yers and others, who find it an easy thing to whet their 
hopes, and procure money from them to make primary 
investigations.’’ A shrewd lawyer, wishing to make the 
tour of Europe, for example, can readily play upon the 
credulity of some such family, and induce them to advance 
him a few hundred dollars to go to England with to ex- 
amine records, and so forth ; and when there, can send home 
such a ‘^statement of the case,” so full of hope, as to 
evoke a few hundred, or a thousand or two more dollars, 
in order to retain and pay first-class counsel. It is a 
shame to our people that so many of them fall victims to 
the greed for money in this line. 

I hardly knew whether the more to be vexed at the 
stupidity of the sufferers, or amused by the skill )f the 
intriguing scamps who perpetrated the swindL J am 
about to disclose, when I first heard of it ; and I confess f 
haven’t yet come to a decision on that point after the lapse 
of a dozen years -or so. 

I was called on one day by a Western merchant, an old 
man, by the name of King. He was a New Yorker by 
birth, he said, born in a place called Janesville, in Saratoga 
County, where he had lived to maturity, had then dona 


74 


KEEP OFF THE ^^FEVER-NA-GUR: 


business in New York City till he had reached beyond 
middle age, when, failing in business, he had retired to 
some land he had, in the course of business, acquired in 
Illinois ; but finding farming irksome, had managed to open 
a little country store, which had grown upon his hands 
until he had, in the process of time, become rich, and was 
in the habit of visiting his old home in Saratoga County 
every year, and also coming on to the city, sometimes to 
select goods, though his junior partners came down at the 
same time, and did the principal business. The old man 
had learned to drink whiskey at the West, in order to keep 
off the fever-na-gur,” as he called it, and at the time of 
visiting me, had evidently not gotten over his last fud- 
dle ’’ at home, some weeks before, or had somehow man- 
aged to get abundance of that creature comfort — old 
rye — in New York ; not that he was drunk, but he was 
‘‘ keyed up ’’ to a good pitch — a height from which he 
surveyed all the glory of the King family, and felt that 
nothing but royal blood flowed in his own veins ; and who 
knows but the blood was royal ? It might have been the 
whiskey, however, — but what matters it ? The old man 
descanted a long time on the glory of his ancestry, and 
the pride o‘f his race; claimed relationship to the great 
Rufus King of New York, and all the Kings by name, avIio 
were of any account ; spoke of their natural pride ; said 
that they were always ready to avenge any insult to their 
name., come from what source it might, and so forth, and 
so forth. It was in vain that I interrupted him., at times 
at the end of a sentence, in order to ask him to come to 
the point. Talk he would, in his own way ; and as he was 
a white-haired man, the outlines of whose face showed that 
he was a gentleman when not in liquor, especially (and he 
was thoroughly gentlemanly at the time, thpugh vexatious- 
ly garrulous), I thought I would let him have his talk 
out in his own way. At last he got to tell me that some 
months before he had been swindled out of a dollar, and 
that a large number of the King family, he had recently 


OP THE KING FAMILY MEETING. 


75 


learned, had each been defrauded to the amount of a dol- 
lar, and that some of them, moved by family pride, had, as 
he had been informed, made effort to discover and punish 
the defrauding parties, but had failed. He felt his pride 
wounded at this. The King family had made an effort 
to find out the parties who had so questioned their good 
sense as to successfully swindle them, and such a number 
of them, too — and failed. This he could not endure. If 
all that had been lost had been wheedled out of one mem- 
ber of the family, if he himself, for example, had been the 
only victim, he could have endured that, and would, for 
the pride of tiie name, have endured it in silence. But 
the whole race had been insulted, the very family coat of 
arms had been mocked, and he would not suffer it any 
longer. There had been, a few days before he came to 
me, a large gathering of the King family from all over the 
country. If I remember rightly, this was at New Haven, 
about the time of commencement at Yale College. The 
Kings of Georgia shook hands there with the Kings of 
New York and the Western States, and so on ; and it was 
there that he learned how extensive had been the swin- 
dle. Some of the family had talked and laughed about it 
as a good joke, and poked fun at each other about it. But 
the old man considered that these were degenerate in 
spirit, and spoke of them with a degree of shame. Per- 
sons present at the gathering, with King blood in their 
veins, but bearing other than the King name, — the sons 
of King daughters, by men who rejoiced not in so royal a 
name, — made great sport of the swindle, and said that peo- 
ple high in position, like Kings, emperors, etc., were more 
subject to such things than people of undistinguished 
names and of low estate, and assured the King relatives 
that the latter ought to feel complimented by the defer- 
ence that had been paid to them by the swindlers. The 
old man felt sore over this style of joking ; felt that the 
name had been trifled with, and he was resolved to let the 
jokers “ see that there was yet the ‘ true spirit ^ in the 


76 


A PRETTY RETENTIVE MEMORY. 


King blood to avenge an insult,” — and so he did at last. 
He was not particular about terras.” He was willing to 
pay abundantly, for he was rich, — rich on that day, at 
least, — and persuaded rae to take hold of the matter by 
advancing me, — and insisting on my taking it, — double 
what I told him it might cost to make thorough work of 
the matter. I told him I had not a particle of hope, for I 
saw no prospect whatever of tracing out the perpetrators 
of this fraud in question months after it had been accom- 
plished. But I took the matter in hand, and hearing his 
story in full, told him to call next day, for I might, on re- 
flection, wish to consult him again. He left with me a 
letter, which a son of his had received — the man to whom 
1 was indebted for my engagement in the matter. His 
son, and a partner of his in business at Utica, N. Y., had 
about a year before had occasion to engage my services 
in tracing out some forgers, who had been speculating ” 
a little upon them ; and when he found his father, against 
his advice, was determined to do something about the mat- 
ter in question, he told him lie had better employ a regu- 
lar detective, ^nd so sent him to me. I kept this letter 
for a long time, and, indeed, had three or four copies of 
it, which I got, some from the Kings, and others from some 
persons by the name of Perkins, who had been victimized 
at the same time. I supposed I could readily find a copy 
now ; but in the multitude of vicissitudes to which a de- 
tective’s papers and things sacred,” as well those of 
other people, are subjected, the letters have become mis- 
placed or lost. But my memory is pretty retentive, and I 
can reproduce the letter so nearly that I presume several 
thousands of people in the land would, trusting to their 
own memories, say that it is a perfect copy, for these sev- 
eral thousands and their families were the victims. The 
letter purported to be, at its head, the advertisement of a 
great firm of lawyers in New York City ; or rather the pro- 
fessional firm name was displayed in type at the head of an 
ordinary full-sized letter sheet, thus : — 


THE CUNNING LETTER, 


77 


Lord, King, k Graham, 

Attorneys and Counsellors at Law. 

(Address, P. 0. box 1070.) 

Daniel Lord. 

Willis King. 

J. Perkins Graham. 

New York , , 185 . 

[The above was printed in an elegant manner upon the 
nicest paper. Under this was written a letter, the same 
to the Kings, the Lords, the Grahams, and Perkinses, with 
the exception that when writing to a King, the “ King 
family ” was named, in the place where, when writing to 
a Perkins, the Perkins family ’’ was named ; and the let- 
ter ran pretty much after this sort ; for example : — ] 

William King, Esq., 

Quincy y Illinois. 

Dear Sir: Our firm, in the course of investigations, 
which it has made during the last year among the records 
of the High Court of Chancery in England, discovered that 
there is a vast estate lying in chancery there for the de- 
scendants of John King, who came to this country in the 
year 1754, as near as we can learn. In behalf of the King 
family in this country, I have undertaken to make out a 
genealogical list of the direct descendants, and their 
branches, from said John, and have found a branch, of 
which I suppose you to be a member, and if so, entitled to 
your share in the estate. Will you have the kindness to 
forward me your pedigree, as fully as you understand it, or 
are able to obtain it ? I am making out a genealogy of the 
King family, which will be furnished to those wanting at 
its cost price, one dollar. This list will be used in bring- 
ing suit in England, and it is desirable that all Kings 
claiming relationship to the said John should be registered 
therein, as this will be made a part of the pleadings in the 
case, and, according to a peculiarity of the English law, 


78 


GENEALOGICAL LETTERS. 


only such as are thus made parties to this suit will receive 
a share in the estate. Your name will be at once regis- 
tered on receipt of the dollar and your pedigree. Please 
be as particular as you can about the latter. 

Yours, very respectfully, 

Willis King. 

The letters I saw all seemed to be written in the same 
rapid, half-clerkly, half-lawyerlike, but elegant scrawl, 
whether written to a Perkins or a King. It will be seen 
that the third partner — J. Perkins Graham — could 
represent both the Graham and the Perkins family, and I 
suppose he did. So there were in the scheme four fam- 
ilies to be preyed upon, — Lord, King, Graham, and Per- 
kins; and these families are numerous over the land, 
and many of them in high positions. I learned from the 
scamps, after their detection, that they received all sorts 
of epistles, from the lowly Lo'rd up to the exalted one, who 
wrote on paper displaying flaming coats of arms, and their 
letters bearing a huge seal. So with the rest of the fam- 
ilies. The swindlers had spent some time in hunting 
through all the directories of other cities and towns 
which they could find in New York, and gathered all they 
could from advertisements in newspapers for a year or so, 
before they launched out in their long-meditated scheme. 
Meanwhile they were practising their cunning arts in 
other swindles. They also wrote to the postmasters of 
a large number of towns, enclosing to one a letter for a 
King, to another a letter for a Perkins, to still another a 
letter for a Graham, asking each postmaster to have the 
kindness to read the accompanying letter,’^ and to pass 
it over to any King, Perkins, and so on, who might be 
within the delivery of his office, or in his vicinity. These 
letters they got copied by a clerk at a few cents (five, I 
think) apiece. So when they got a dollar back it paid 
for about twelve letters, inclusive of stationery and post- 
age. A hundred letters and the postage would cost them 


rilE FINANCIAL USES OF CREDULITY. 


79 


about twelve dollars, and from a hundred they would 
probably get fifty, if not more, favorable answers. From 
several thousand letters they received several thousand 
dollars, aside from large sums which, by subsequent cor- 
respondence, they swindled out of such pompous, or other 
parties, as, judging by their letters, they thought they 
could further entrap. Some of these forwarding to the 
famous firm of Lord, King, & Graham as high as a hun- 
dred dollars to be guaranteed especial effort in their be- 
half I It is almost too preposterous to be believed, but 
such was the fact — such the credulity of some who occu- 
pied political positions of note ; one of them, indeed, being 
at the time a member of Congress ! But credulity in mat- 
ters of this kind is a .weakness, alike of the poor and the 
rich, the educated and uneducated. The device of these 
swindlers proved to be more profitable than one would 
have, on first thought, judged possible, so much greater is 
human credulity than we are wont to consider it. Per- 
haps credulity is the only thing in the world that we are 
not apt to overrate. But it is not strange that it should 
be great touching material things, when in matters of 
religion the most absurd fancies have, from time immemo- 
rial, down through the ages of Oriental, pagan, and other 
religions to the days of Mohammedanism and Mormon- 
ism, had possession of the human soul, ruled nations, 
gathered armies, and taught millions of millions of human 
beings to sacrifice each other in death, willingly and 
proudly. And in the matter of money-getting, wliere 
hope may be whetted, in order to inspire the actor, — as 
in reaching out for a fortune in chancery, — their credu- 
lity usurps a wondrous supremacy, and carries all along 
with it. So many of the most intelligent representatives 
of the various families addressed by ‘‘ Lord, King, <fe Gra- 
ham fell as readily into the trap as the least intelligent. 
Now and then a man, a little more wary than the rest, 
wrote, wishing to make further inquiries about the prop- 
erty in chancery, how it came to be discovered, what was 


80 


«xo/eA KING, ^ graham: 


its amount, about how many, probably, it would have 
to be divided between, etc., etc. But he could not, after 
asking so many questions, neglect to enclose the small 
amount of a dollar ; and the swindlers taking his measure 
by his letter, would generally reply in so cunning a man- 
ner as to finally elicit from him a contribution ” of from 
twenty-five to a hundred dollars, in order to prosecute 
the matter in England. 

In some instances persons who had received letters 
wrote that they were coming on to New York in a few 
days, and would call and talk over the matter. Replies 
would be made to these, that our Mr. Perkins,” or Mr. 
Lord,” or whatever name the special letter-writer bore, 
and “ who has exclusive charge of the matter in question,” 
is away from home, gone to meet some of the family in — 
(Kentucky,for example); that he would proceed, immediate- 
ly on his return, to England, etc., so as to keep the party 
from making investigations, and finding that there was no 
such firm as “ Lord, King, & Graham,” generally managing 
to conclude the letter in some such way as not only to win 
the one dollar at once, but to elicit more from the man ; 
as, for instance, suggesting that some of the Perkinses were 
making up a sum, by the contribution of ten dollars each, 
to secure special legal talent in England, and intimating that 
the interests of those who took a generous and manly part 
in prosecuting the matter would be likely to be better 
looked out for than would the interests of those who are 
not so generous. The family pride of the correspondent 
would often be flattered in such a way as to make him 
go deeper into his pockets. The recital of affairs, as 
given me by one of the swindlers, himself a young man 
of fine education and genius, was very amusing. It was a 
pity, he said, that they had not preserved all the corre- 
spondence. It would have made a most remarkable book, 
as funny, in parts, as anything Thackeray ever wrote. It 
was serious and serio-comical ; bombastic and Pecksniffian- 
ly humble. It represented all grades of society, from the 


OF THE CORRESPONDENTS. 


81 


Lord who drove stage ” for a living, up to the King ” 
who had a seat in Congress. Widows, whose deceased 
husbands’ names had been culled from ten years old direc- 
tories, wrote mournful stories about the late Mr. William 
Lord,” or James Perkins,” or whatever the names might 
have been, and declared that their late partners had al- 
ways told them there was an immense estate in England 
for them, and so on. The pious and the less pious each 
wrote his peculiar letter. But what was most noticeable 
was, that almost all of them assumed the airs of nabobs.” 
And why shouldn’t they? Were they not on the eve of 
becoming immensely rich? And what is there in this 
world, with its grievous labors and trials, comparable 
to riches ? I presume this same sort of trick could be suc- 
cessfully played with almost any family in the land which 
has an American line extending back of the Revolution, 
say, for a hundred years, and with many of less age, 
so great is the desire to get riches. Indeed, there is a 
lawyer in Vermont who has made the matter of searching 
out estates in England a study. He spent ten years in 
England in hunting up genealogies and titles; has a 
regular partner in London to whom he transmits business 
from this country, and publishes a good-sized pamphlet 
filled with the names of families residing in America, and 
entitled to property in England. This lawyer now and 
then gets an important case, in which his fees amount 
to something handsome, — sometimes to twenty thousand 
dollars. 

But this is wandering from the direct line of my story, 
though, perchance, it is far more interesting than the sinv 
pie detecting part of the tale. My old friend King left 
the city, and went home a few days after I accepted the 
work ; but his interest did not flag because he had handed 
over the matter to another, but rather increased. His let- 
ters were very frequent, sometimes three a week, none of 
which, except the first, did I take the trouble to reply to 
for a long while. I soon found that I needed more facts 
6 


82 


GOT BADLY BITTEN. 


than I had in my possession to enable me to reach any 
practical result. It was impossible to find any job printer 
in the city who had ever done a job for Lord, King, and 
Graham.” Nobody had ever seen the letter-head before, 
and no one could suggest where the work was probably 
done. It was not recognized as like the style of anybody. 
Possibly it was done out of the city ; but the fact was, as 
I afterwards learned, that it had been done privately by 
a firm which had meanwhile failed in business, and I was 
baffled on that poiiit. I expected to fail, and so gave but 
little heed to the matter ; but it finally occurred to me that 
if I could find some King, or somebody else who had re- 
ceived a letter and not replied to it, that he might at that 
late day make reply in such way as to get into a corre- 
spondence with the parties, and I could then have them 
followed from the post office, or in some other way trap 
them. About this time I went on to Louisville, Ky., and 
there encountered a gentleman, one of the King family, — 
we will call him Lemuel, for a name, — whom I had not met 
in some fifteen years before. He was a New Yorker by birth, 
and I had known him when a school-boy. Lemuel was a 
bright boy, and made a most acute man. When I asked 
him if he had ever done business with “ Lord, King, & 
Graham,” of New York, he laughed outright, and ex- 
claimed, “ No ; but my George, you knew him, has, and got 
badly bitten.” When I found out this, I disclosed to him 
my reason for inquiring, and found that he had on file 
somewhere the letter from L., K., k G,” which was 
hunted out, and we coined a letter to the firm, which was 
calculated to wake up any one of them who should receive 
it. Mr. King’s letter had been found, sealed and unopened 
of course, in a package of letters, and he wrote hastily, 
with great anxiety, to know if it was too late yet to be put 
in the genealogical list for the dollar ; and intimated his 
desire to contribute anything of a reasonable amount to 
the prosecution of the search and claim for the estate. 
This letter was posted, and I hurried back to New York, 


A T/iAP F/iYALLr SET. 


83 


suspecting that it would appear in the list of advertised 
letters, as it did and thinking that it would meet the eye 
of some one of the firm who would be curious to get it, 
I had a man stationed in the post office, along with the 
delivery clerk, and when the man came, as I suspected he 
would, and asked for the advertised letter, the clerk de- 
layed the delivery long enough to enable my man to get 
out near the fellow, and follow him. He found that the 
man entered a law office in Nassau Street, and that the 
real estate business was also attended to in the same office. 
So we devised a business call upon the office, and got 
well acquainted with the man who took out the letter. He 
caught at this bait, as I soon learned from Louisville, and I 
carried a letter in re|)ly to his, which led him along till I 
was fully satisfied that the lawyers and real estate men 
were all of a piece. I laid in ” with the post office clerk 
to let me know when a letter bearing Mr. King’s mono- 
gram, from Louisville, should arrive. The clerk delayed 
its delivery one day, and I made a call into the office at the 
time one of the partners went for their mail. He returned 
smiling, and passed the letter, which he had read, over to 
the other party. There was an amount of blind talk over 
it. Finally they excused themselves to retire into the 
counsel-room,” and coming out, the lawyer sat down and 
answered the letter. I left the office soon after,* and had 
the letter intercepted at the post office, which I took into 
my possession. 

I then sent to Louisville for the letters which had pre- 
ceded this, and receiving the same, I now had the writing 
of two of them in my possession, and I had managed in a 
business way to possess myself of sundry documents writ- 
ten by each of these men, and I found other parties, too, 
who could identify the handwriting of each; and having 
secured these, I advertised in a Philadelphia paper, also 
in a Boston paper, in one at Utica, and one in Cincinnati, 
to the effect that any person by the name of King (that 
for Philadelphia), or any person by the name of Lord (for 


84 


POCKETING THE KEY. 


Boston), and so on, might hear of something to his ad- 
vantage by calling on so and so any time during the week. 
I made arrangements with brother detectives in these 
places to receive their calls, and instructed them what to 
say. In this way I became, in the course of two weeks, 
in possession of abundant facts to convince the firm of 
Lord, King, & Graham that we had them trapped ; and 
one day, taking an officer along with me, and setting watch 
till I saw that the two men I have spoken of were in their 
office, dropped in, and said, Gentlemen, I have been here 
often on business affairs, and we have got along very 
pleasantly, and I have invariably found your advice good ; 
but IVe something now which I fear will puzzle you ; per- 
haps you can help me out. By the way, if you please, as 
it’s private. I’ll lock the door,” stepping towards it. 

0, certainly, certainly,” said both of them at once. I 
locked the door, and putting the key in my pocket, said. 
Perhaps, gentlemen, you think I am over-cautious in 
pocketing the key ; but my business is serious, and — you 
are my prisoners.” There was astonishment, and differing 
shades of color going and coming on their clieeks. 

Give me the key ! ” exclaimed the lawyer, finally, re- 
suming his composure in a measure. ’Twouldu’t do you 
any good,” said I, for I have brother officers at the door, 
and the best way is to sit down and talk over the matter 
coolly. You naturally wish to know why you are my 
prisoners. I’ll tell you. Some months ago you carried 
on a system of frauds under the name of ^ Lord, King, & 
Graham.’ I was lately employed to work up the case. 
I’ve all the facts necessary for your conviction ; your hand- 
writing, and so forth, and so forth, in my possession ; ” and 
then I read them a series of names of those they had 
swindled, and said, although I don’t need to do so, yet I 
am going to cause your back office there to be searched.” 
One of them started to rise in his seat. Sit still, or I 
shall handcuff you,” said I ; and I stepped to the door, 
called in the officer, relocked the door, and put the key in 


THE FRIGHTENED SCAMPS. 


85 


my pocket, and directed my man to go into the other room 
and possess himself of all books and papers which he could 
find there, and search especially for ^inything bearing on 
the ^ Lord, King, <fe Graham” business — (I had told him 
all about it before) ; and, gentlemen, I propose to take 
possession of all your papers here.” My man was hunting 
over matters vigorously in the other room while I was at 
work briskly searching the larger room, when the lawyer 
rose, and said, Gentlemen, I see you’ve got us. I’ll give you 
up what books there are left, and you can make what you 
please out of them ; they won’t do you any gocd, however.” 

Please to deliver them up, and I will see as to that.” 
They were produced — journals of accounts ; and fortunate- 
ly in one I found three letters written out, but which, for 
some reason, had never been sent, in the writing of J. 
Perkins Graham,” which I discovered to be that of the 
letter written by the lawyer to my friend in Louisville. I 
also searched the books, and found entries therein in his 
hand. Taking out his letter from my pocket, There,” said 
I, ‘‘ is your late letter to Mr. King, of Louisville. I saw 
you write it, can prove your hand by a half dozen persons 
in this building; and that” (taking up a newly-found let- 
ter), ‘‘ is yours, and here are entries in your hand, and I 
have your friend caught still more firmly. Now you see 
the relation of things, and we needn’t dispute; how will 
you settle this business? All the expenses I have been to 
must be met first, and you can’t object to paying a hand- 
some sum for the education, discipline, and experience you 
have had in this business. You’ve learned a good deal of 
human nature. I don’t propose to be hard with you, but 
my instructions are to expose you through the public 
press, — you two, and the rest of you, — for I know you 
all.” There was consternation in their countenances, and 
I had no great difficulty in bringing them to terms, for I 
informed them that I knew all about their social standing, 
and that of their relatives, especially dwelling upon the - 
relatives of one of them who was at that time absent, but 


86 


SETTLING MATTERS, 


whom I had inextricably caught with the rest. The lawyer 
was willing, and so was his friend, to submit to any 
reasonable terms',^’ an item of- which was the returning 
to those whom they had swindled out of ten dollars and 
upwards the money they had defrauded them of, as 
nearly as from the books and memory they could make out, 
and to bear the expense of such correspondence as I 
should think necessary. They were also to pay all expen- 
ses I had been to, and to give me full wages for the time 
I had been at work, the account of which made no small 
sum. There was no need of my holding them under ar- 
rest, for they could better afford to come to my terms than 
to run away and be exposed in the public papers. Be- 
sides, they could not think of such a thing on account of 
their relatives. The father of one of them was a clergy- 
man, in high standing, and the rest held higher social posi- 
tion than he, and the terms were duly complied with on 
the return of the third party the next day. 

I kept possession of the books, had a short letter, in the 
form of a circular, printed and sent to all the parties whose 
names were on the books, and were marked with a little 
cross, which they told me meant those who had responded, 
in which was set forth the fact of the swindle, with a request 
that each party should reply as to how much he had lost, 
especially over ten dollars, and make affidavit of his loss 
before some notary public or other officer in his vicinity. 
The amount thus heard from was over three thousand dol- 
lars (not counting the several thousands which came in 
one dollar at a time). On the three thousand and upwards 
1 charged, as permitted to do, ten per cent, for collect- 
ing ; ” but it was a bothersome business, and vexed me 
more than it profited me. My acquaintance got to be 
somewhat intimate with these sharpers, who were all men 
of education, and very adroit, as the reader may well con- 
ceive, from the fact of their perpetrating their frauds on 
some of the shrewdest and most important men in the 
land. They kept files of some of their letters, as well as 


OLD ME. KING^S DELIGHT. 


87 


copy-books, which revealed the most consummate skill on 
their part. Indeed, as I said before, I sometimes hardly 
knew whether to swear, to laugh, or be indignant over this 
subtle fraud. 

Old Mr. King, who first employed me, was delighted 
with the detection of the villains, but could never forgive 
me for not exposing them to the public. However, he 
took all the credit which was fairly due him, if not more, 
and considered that the good name of King in America 
was at last preserved from the shame which easy imposi- 
tion had brought it, and used to say that the Lords, Per- 
kinses, and Grahams of the country all owed the Kings a 
great debt of gratitude. But as my name is not King, I 
sometimes used to reflect that perhaps they owed grati- 
tude to some others than Kings as well, for the largest 
share of the money returned went to Lords and Perkinses. 
Not a Graham, save one in North Carolina, had been de- 
frauded of over one dollar. For many it proved better to 
have been swindled out of ten dollars or more, than it 
would have been to have lost only a dollar, — a paradox, 
with a moral in it, which I leave to the reader^s solufion. 


HATTIE NEWBERRY, THE VERMONT 

BEAUTY. 


SOCIETT, FOR THE MOST PART, CREATES THE CRIMES WHICH IT PUNISHES ” 

— A BEAUTIFUL GIRL ON THE CARS FROM RUTLAND, VERMONT, ON THE 
WAT TO bellows’ FALLS, BESET BT NEW YORK ROGUES — A DETECTIVE 
RECOGNIZES IN HER THE FORMER PLAYMATE OP HIS OWN DAUGHTER 

— HE ENCOUNTERS THE ROGUES AT BELLOWS* FALLS, AND KNOCKS 
ONE OF THEM DOWN IN THE LADIES* ROOM — THEY ALL TAKE THE 
NEXT TRAIN, AND MOVE SOUTHWARD, ON THEIR WAY TO NEW YORK 

— INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY — A THIRD VILLAIN GETS ABOARD AT 
HARTFORD, CONN. — WHY HATTIE AVAS GOING TO NEW YORK — AN OLD 
TALE — THE DETECTIVE GIVES HATTIE MUCH GOOD ADVICE — A SKIL- 
FUL MANOEUVRE, ON ARRIVING IN NEW YORK, TO PUT THE ROGUES OFF 
THE TRACK — A PAINFUL DISCOVERY AT LAST — A DEEP, DEVILISH PLOT 
OF THE VILLAINS DRIVES HATTIE TO DESPAIR, AND SHE IS RESCUED 
FROM A suicide’s GRAVE — THE ROGUES PROVE TO BE THE MOST 
HEARTLESS OP VILLAINS, AND ARE CAUGHT, AND DULY PUNISHED — 
HATTIE RETURNS EVENTUALLY TO VERMONT, AFTER HAVING MARRIED 
HER OLD LOVER — THIS TALE IS ONE OP THE SADDEST AS WELL AS 
MOST INTERESTING OF EXPERIENCES THROUGHOUT. 

It was my original intention when I contracted with my 
publishers for these sketches from my diary, to avoid such 
narratives as hinged upon matters of love between the 
sexes, and especially to avoid all those matters of abduc- 
tion of females for unholy purposes, the detection and ex- 
posure of the schemes of procuresses, or the rescuing from 
a life of infamy girls of respectable parentage and home 
surroundings, from both the country and city — matters 
which frequently come into the hands of detectives, and 
with which old detectives, in particular, are painfully con- 
versant. I could fill a quarto volume with what has come 
under my own eye of that nature, with recitals far more 
romantic in their truthfulness than are the cunning de- 

22 15 * 


’IGNORANCB IS BLISS** SOMETIMES. 


89 


vices of the most imaginative novelists. Indeed, the more 
astute novelists of, the sensation school are wise enough to 
gather instruction, and obtain from interviews with detec- 
tives the plots which they work up, out of facts given 
them by these officers. In my own experience I have 
been, indeed (at one time especially, when it seemed to me 
as if all the scribblers had gone mad upon sensation tales), 
harassed and vexed by what we would now term inter- 
views,’^ fishing from me the issues of this or that experi- 
ence. It was .my purpose, to which I shall adhere, of 
course, to give publicity to not a line in these narratives 
which may not properly fall under the e3’-e of the most 
fastidious or the most innocent child. Nevertheless, such 
is the course of life the detective is obliged to lead, finding 
himself frequently among the vilest characters, — thieves, 
gamblers, highway robbers, unfortunate and lost women, 
and wretches too low and vile to be named here, even 
by the crimes or base oftences which they commit, — that 
it is almost impossible to give the full history of any- 
thing, with all the incidents of a nature interesting (in 
some respects) which may have attended it. The scenes 
which occur in New York, for example, in one day, if 
gathered into a book, such as the regular police force and 
the detectives might furnish, would astound the uniniti- 
ated; and were they recited in all their details, would, 
many of them, horrify and disgust, as well as astound,” 
the reader. At this writing there are crowding upon my 
memory many occurrences in my life, that I have been 
called to take a part in, which would hardly be fit for 
these pages, in view of the extreme immorality that 
generated them, or follows in their trail, which yet have 
their romantic side. Most of these affairs, to which I now 
especially refer, relate to the life of fallen women, their 
first enticements from the path of virtue, their utter ruin, 
or their final rescue. But it were better that the pub- 
lic remain ignorant of these things as far forth as possi- 
ble, than to be well informed. Yet the eye of sympathy 


90 


CONSPIRACY OF Cin(‘C MSTANCES. 


cannot but fill with tears of pity over the ruined and 
wronged ; and as I write, I feel a strong impulse to go 
aside from my original intention in these tales, and mingle 
with them recitals of horrible personal wrongs suffered, 
and the lives of infamy led by many females, whom better 
surroundings than they enjoyed, or more benevolence and 
kindness than they received, might have saved, and ele- 
vated to places as comparatively dignified in the world as 
the position they now occupy is base ’and degraded. 

Societ}%^^ it is true, as a great philosopher has aptly 
said, creates, for the most part, the crimes which it pun- 
ishes;” and though the detective, in the pursuit of his 
calling, is apt to become merciless towards the really guil- 
ty, and to condemn them outright, — declaring that they 
could, if they would, do better, — he knows that it would, 
a thousand times, seem that the very conspiracy of cir- 
cumstances ” irresistibly impels men on to the commission 
of crimes, and in his reason he is more lenient towards his 
fellow-men than his profession permits him to be in prac- 
tice. But there are villains in the world who seem to 
combine with base desires and notions a persistency in 
the expression of them which never wearies. They pur- 
sue their base objects with a tirelessness which would be 
most admirable in a good cause. Indeed, virtue, save as 
exemplified in the characters of a few great souls, grows 
weary and careless, and turns almost to vice, long before 
the perseverance of these villains would turn from it< 
course of wrong. There seems to be a romantic impulse 
for some in the very trials that beset the path of crime. 
The more hair-breadth escapes to be made, the more 
eagerly do these villains seem to enter upon their course. 
But I must not stop to moralize farther here. Unwilling 
to recite any tale of my own experience of the kind to which 
1 have alluded, as related to the rescuing of intended fe- 
male victims from the snares of the despoiler, which now 
comes to my mind, I will recall, as clearly as I can, the 
story of a brotlier detective. I was coming from Buffalo, 


MY FlUEND'S NARnATlVE. 


91 


ill 1859, and chanced to enter the car in which he was 
seated, on his way to New York, from a successful profes- 
sional mission at the further West, and fortunately found 
a seat with him in the same chair. AVe occupied our time 
mostly as detectives, when travelling together, are apt to, 
in the narration of our professional experiences ; and let 
me say here, that of all ‘‘ story-tellers,” the best I have 
ever listened to are detectives,— tlie most ‘‘ apt scliol- 
ars ” usually of human nature, — and what is more, they 
always liave truths enough of a startling kind to tell, to 
be under no necessity of “ drawing on the imagination.” 

Thus ran his story of “ Hattie Newberry : ” — I may get 
places and names, in some particulars, not exactly correct. 
I merely wish to present the substance ; and I remember 
it more particularly, because the case he cited was in so 
many respects like one of mine, which, however, had 
features which would be unfit for display in these pages. 
But to the narrative. 

My friend said, that once on his way from Vermont, 
he took the cars at Proctorsville, I believe, below Rutland, 
coming south ; that he had not been long on the cars be- 
fore he observed a couple of men whom, by their ‘‘ flashy ” 
dress, and certain signs unmistakable by the “ initiated,” 
he knew to be either New York or Boston cutthroats of 
some sort. He thought he had encountered them some- 
where before; and as he was on a peculiar mission, con- 
nected with the subject-matter of which these very men 
might be, he kept his eye on them, watching their man- 
ners with each other. He discovered that they had some 
iniquity on hand, as he thought, or were very gleesome 
over some already secured success, or something of the 
kind. He observed, too, that they frequently turned their 
attention to a young lady who was sitting alone in the 
front seat of the car, by the door, near the stove ; and by 
and by these fellows got up, and went forward to her, and 
commenced talking, and it was evident from her manner 
that she had seen them before, and that she wished to 


LITTLE HATTIE NEWBERRY. 


92 - 


avoid them. They tried to affect a familiarity with her, 
offered her something to drink which they carried in 
flasks, Si-nd so conducted, in short, as to attract the attei> 
tion of the car full of passengers, who seemed disgusted 
with their movements. It was evident to my friend that 
something was wrong ; and eventually, as the cars stopped 
at Bellows’ Falls for a change of passengers to another 
train for those going down, my friend caught a glimpse 
of the young lady’s face, which he had not seen before, 
sitting, as he was, some distance behind her, and at once 
he reflected that he had seen her somewhere, and ought 
to know her. She was startlingly beautiful, not only in 
the regularity of her features, but in the expression of her 
face — the most beautiful being I ever saw in all my 
travels,” to use his own declaration. He felt a great in- 
terest in her ; and now that he had seen her pure, beautiful 
face, he understood well enough that the two villains had 
no proper acquaintance with her ; that they were only ha- 
rassing her, and had some low design regarding her. The 
cars waited at the Falls for some fifteen minutes before 
the other train would come in, and my friend, leaving the 
gentlemen’s room, Avherein the two men in question were, 
among others, partaking of refreshments, and giggling ” 
over their pretty designs, and talking about “ her,” that 
bully gal,” etc., and smacking their lips with evident de- 
light over some contemplated victory, — he sauntered into 
the ladies’ room, and proceeded towards the young lady, 
who arose, moved towards him, and giving him her hand, 
called him by name. He was astonished as well as de- 
lighted that she knew him. 

But, miss, I am sorry I cannot call you by name. I 
think I must have known you,” said he. 

“ Why, then,” she replied, you have forgotten ^ little 
Hattie Newberry,’ whom you used to dance so much on 
your knees, along with your Jane.” 

0, no, I’ve not,” said he, grasping her hand, and shak- 
ing it heartily, Ibut tenderly, for the tears came into his 


TENDER MEMORIES. 


93 


eyes ; for his Jane, to whom Miss Hattie referred, was dead, 
and he called to mind how dearly she loved little Hattie.” 
Ten years had passed since he had seen Hattie. She was 
then a “ wee bit of a thing ” of her age, and she was not 
very large now, though grown to full womanhood, as ex- 
quisitely moulded in form as she was beautiful of face. 
My friend had married a Vermont girl, he himself being a 
native of New Jersey. The illness of his wife had led 
them to remove to a little town somewhere above Rut- 
land, — New Haven, I believe, but may be that is not it, 
— for a summer, in which place he had first known Hattie, 
when but a child of six years of age. His little daughter 
Jane was just her age, having been born on the very same 
day that she was, and the two little creatures, just the op- 
posites, however, in complexion, color of hair and eyes, 
and quite unlike in all respects, fell into the warmest 
mutual friendship. They had not a single taste alike,” 
said he. ‘‘Jane was a great romp, loved to be out in the 
stables with the horses and cows, was full of boisterous 
life ; ” but Hattie was as mild as her own blue eyes, and 
as delicate as her fine, glossy hair. “ It was a strange af- 
fection these children had for each other,” he said ; “ very 
beautiful, and I used to bo constantly with them when 
there.” He used to spend a month or so of each summer 
there, while the wife staid from the last of May, he said, 
into October. For three years his wife made the little 
town her summer home, and these children grew more 
and more together. Ten years had gone, and Hattie was 
now in her nineteenth year, — a beautiful woman, into 
whose countenance her advanced years had thrown just 
enough of spirit to make her interesting, — with an air of 
sweet, just ripe maturity about her, which gave my friend 
an inkling of what the two villains were pursuing her 
for. Pretty soon my friend introduced the subject of 
her “ friends,” — her two “ fellow-travellers,” — and she 
shrugged her shoulders with an expression of mingled 
disgust and dread, and said, “ You are going down ? ” 


UNPLIuASANT ACQUAINTANCES. 


94 . 


0, 1 am so glad, for you’ll be company for me, and keep 
those mean men away from me — won’t you ? ” 

Why, certainly. Where did you meet them first? ” 
They came on at Rutland, I think, and the impudent 
fellows liave tried to talj^ witli me all tlie way down. At 
first I said a few words to them, and told them I was 
going to New York, and they’ve left their seats several 
times, and come forward to me.” 

“ Yes, I’ve noticed them,” said my friend, and that’s 
why I came in here, not expecting to find Hattie New- 
berry, but sure that you, whoever you are, were being 
persecuted by those villains, and needed protection.” 

O, you are so good,” said she, and 1 shall be so glad 
to go with you. 1 did not know what to do, but I had 
thought that if they got into the same cars with me on 
the next train, that I would speak to the conductor about 
them, or go out into another car. They had the impudence 
to ask me to take some liquor with them, and I do not 
think they were drunk.” 

Their conversation had proceeded to this point, when 
into the ladies room boisterously came the two men. 
“ Here’s the darling,” said one, approaching her, bringing 
cakes, etc., in their hands. ‘‘ And you must take something 
with us.” She declined, «ind turned her face away, when 
my friend said to them, She doesn’t want anything — 
don’t trouble her.” 

Yes, she does, too,” said one, and the larger of the 
men ; and she mustn’t be bashful — must take it. See 
here, sis,” said he, and placed his hand familiarly on her 
shoulder to turn her around ; at which she shuddered, and 
gave my friend such a look that he couldn’t control him. 
self, “ if ’twas in the ladies’ room,” and dealt the fellow 
such a blow in the face \^ith his brawny arm — for though 
he was not very large, he was a Hercules in strength, and 
as skilful with his fists p.s a prize-fighter — as stretched 
him flat upon the floor. 


PACIFIC RESULTS OF FORCE. 


95 


This young lady is under my protection, and if you 
harass her any more, I’ll break your head,” said he, as 
the scamp “ gathered ” himself up, and looked for an in- 
stant at my friend, perceiving then, perhaps, that the plain- 
looking man, whom he had quite likely taken for a com- 
mon country fellow,” was something of a genius in the art 
of self-defence, as well as that of offence, for my friend 
was on his “ pose,” ready to resist the attacks of the 
two. 

The scamps almost instantly decamped, and about this 
time the expected train arrived, and my friend led Hattie 
to a car. Into the same the two men came ; but my friend, 
rising, and looking about at them as they passed back, and 
they perceiving him, they said something to each other, 
and turned about, and went into a forward car. My friend 
hoped that that was the last of them ; but at several stop- 
ping-places on the road, one of them — not the one who 
got the blow — would saunter through their car, as if look- 
ing for some new in-comer, but evidently to feast his eyes 
on Hattie’s beauty, — so my friend thought. 

After being well seated in the cars, my friend called to 
mind, that, not long before, his wife had heard from some 
of the relatives in Hattie’s native village, with whom she 
kept up an occasional correspondence, that Hattie New- 
berry was engaged to a young man by the name of Dwight 
Phelps, a member of a quite wealthy family in that place ; 
and he wondered if Hattie was going to New York to get 
fixed up ” for the marriage, for he knew that she had some 
relatives there somewhere, and his curiosity led him to in- 
quire if she was going to stay long in New York. 

Yes, perhaps so. I am going with my cousin Charlotte, 
— going to work in the same store with her. She’s been 
trying to have me come for a long time, and at last I’ve 
made up my mind to go.” Hattie’s parents were poor peo- 
ple ; industrious and respectable, but with quite a large 
family ; and Mr. Newberry himself, never a very touch” 
man, as they express it in Vermont, and ill a good deal, 


96 


A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT, 


they had hard work enough to make ends meet, and send 
the children to school, and all that. 

0, so you are going to live in New York ! How’s that? 
Let me see ; it seems to me that somebody wrote to my wife 
a few weeks ago, that you and young Dwight Phelps were to 
be married ; and so I supposed you’d always stay up there.” 

Hattie blushed, and replied, 0, there was such a ru- 
mor ; but that’s all over now.” She tried to be cheerful, 
but a sigh, which did not escape my friend’s ear, and a sad 
look, for an instant, which did not escape his eye, revealed 
to him that something had gone wrong with her ; and he 
finally found, on joking her a little about the matter, kindly, 
that young Phelps’s father, who was a sort of a miser, 
was in the way ; that he wanted his son to marry some 
rich girl, or not a poor one in money, at least, however 
poor she might otherwise be ; and the young man was in 
his father’s hands, so far as pecuniary means were con- 
cerned, and would not be independent enougli to think of 
marrying soon. The old man Phelps had threatened to 
disinherit him if he married against his will ; and she had 
determined to not make difficulty in the family, and was 
on her way to New York, at her cousin’s solicitation, to 
go to work where she could earn something, and help her 
father and mother support the family. The subject was 
a painful one for Hattie to descant upon, and my friend 
addressed himself to other matters of conversation. Hat- 
tie informed him that her cousin, Charlotte Keeney, was 
the chief clerk in a confectioner’s establishment, with a 
neat restaurant attached, in Sixth Avenue, near Twelfth 
Street, New York, the i)roprietor of which was a certain jMr. 

Henry (Brown, for a name) — a popular, thriving busi- 

cess man, of the rigid school of morals; just, generous, 
and kindly in manners, but as fixed in his opinions, and as 
relentless against evil-doers, and as unforgiving of actual 
moral delinquencies, as if he had been carved out of the 
ribs ” of the Mayflower — (before she became a slave- 
ship) ; a sort of wooden-headed man in all matters of mor- 



RESCUE OF HATTIE NEWBERRY. — As she rose, struggling and puffing, she seized it. 





















/■ 




Tk* 






« 


t 


e 



« 


» 


s. 


\i 


I 


INCIDENT AT HARTFORD, CONN 


99 


als ; a descendant of the Puritan stock. This fact light- 
ened my friend’s regret that Hattie had resolved to go to 
the city to live, for he chanced to know Mr. Brown’s repu- 
tation, otherwise he would have felt it his duty to say 
more to her of the perils and trials of city life than he 
did. He said, as he looked upon her wonderful beauty, 
and thought how many girls, almost as beautiful, bad found 
city life full of thorns ; had borne sad trials, and suffered 
deathly sorrows, principally through the fact of their ex- 
quisite beauty ; and reflected, too, that she was going there 
with a wound upon her heart, and therefore less likely to 
resist the city’s temptations, — his heart quite overcame 
him, and he wanted to take her directly into his own fam- 
ily, and as a father protect her. 

Along the route, as I have observed before, he noticed 
the impertinence of the two men, constantly seeking to get 
a sight at Hattie whenever the cars stopped. My friend 
(call him Frederick Daniels) was greatly annoyed by this ; 
but it gave him occasion to descant to Hattie upon the 
character of certain heartless beings she might meet with 
in the city, and to advise her touching the companion- 
ships she might make. But Hattie thought that in her 
cousin Charlotte’s riper experience she should find sufii- 
cient protection, and she seemed to look upon Charlotte as 
a wonder of wisdom as well as of goodness ; and Mr. Dan- 
iels, reflecting that Mr. Brown’s must be as safe a place 
m any for a young lady, probably contented himself with 
asking Hattie to visit his family as often as she could; but 
he lived far up town, and on the other side of the city 
from Mr. Brown’s, so it was not likely that she could find 
time, save on Sundays, and then she would be obliged to 
walk much to get to his house. But she promised him to 
visit his family when she could, and to always come to him 
if she needed aid or protection of any kind. The journey 
was passed pleasantly on to New York, without notable 
incident, save that at Hartford, where the cars were de- 
layed for some time on account of an accident which had 


100 


TRUSTING TO APPEARANCES. 


occurred on the road some miles below : the two men 
were met by a man of the same character with them, evi- 
dently, and who gave them something to drink from his 
flask, theirs being apparently empty, and which flred one 
of them into unusual impudence, which made him annoy- 
ing to Hattie and Mr. Daniels — breaking in at times into 
the ladies’ sitting-room in the depot, whither they had 
gone, with other passengers, for “ sake of change ” from the 
cars. Mr. Daniels, it chanced, knew this third man, who 
seemed to have no memory that he had ever run across 
Mr. D. before ; and knowing him, Mr. D. was not at a loss 
where to place them. He told Hattie that they were gam- 
blers, and worse ; besides, probably being pickpockets. 
She, in her innocence, was surprised to learn that so well- 
dressed men as these could be so low in character, and 
Mr. D. felt that she almost questioned his judgment. So, 
hoping to impress her with the danger of ^‘ trusting to 
appearances,” in a great city especially, he told her such 
tales about such elegantly-dressed scoundrels as came into 
his mind ; and filled up the time of the journey with such 
lessons as he thought might be of use to Hattie, and put 
her on her guard against evil. 

Mr. Daniels chanced to observe that the third villain 
took passage with the other two from Hartford, and he 
saw that this man had become more interested, if possible, 
in Hattie than the other two, if anything was to be judged 
by the more extreme eagerness with which he eyed her. 
The third villain, whose name or alias was, as Mr. D. 
knew, Harland,” was a more accomplished man than the 
rest. He hailed from Meriden, Conn., where it was said 
he was quite respectably related, and had at one time 
occupied a respectable business position in New York; 
but turning to sporting, he at last got involved, and op- 
erated some adroit forgeries, and had been connected with 
a swindling bogus lottery. It was in the detection and 
breaking up of this concern that my friend Daniels had 
come across Harland, This man had lost his best old 


PERSEVERING VILLAINS. 


101 


friends, who discarded him outright, he being obliged to 
take up with a low class of society ; yet there was a natu- 
ral, or educated pride in him, which probably suffered 
much from his debasement, and which prompted him to 
make tools of these beings, whom he regarded, notwith- 
standing his fraternizing with them, as inferior beings. 
Mr. Daniels felt a renewed interest for Hattie when he 
considered this adroit man ; and the fear came over him 
that the rascal would, in some way, manage to make him- 
self felt by her to her sorrow ; and he told Hattie that the 
fellow would as likely as not seek her out in her employ- 
ment, and that the place she was going to, being open to 
the public, he would doubtless find her out ; but that if 
he did, she must not allow him to make her acquaintance, 
beyond what her necessity as a clerk would demand of 
her allowing. She promised him to observe his advice. 
My friend, with his usual shrewdness, had preconceived that 
these villains would endeavor to follow Hattie, to see where 
she went on her arrival in New York; and when the pas- 
sengers alighted from the cars, he was not surprised to 
find these men near him, watching his movements ; and to 
thwart them, he took Hattie and her trunk, by coach, to the 
hotel, intending, as he did, to soon after take her to her place 
of designation on Sixth Avenue, and to send from there 
some trusty man for her trunk. The scoundrels followed in 
another coach, and kept close behind him, alighted at the 
same hotel, and registered their names just below his and 
Hattie’s. Fred. Harland,” Edward Rowe,” and Philip 
Jas. McHenry,” were the entries, in the bold and elegant 
hand of Harland. Mr. Daniels procured a room for him- 
self and one for Hattie, who began now to see the desperate 
course which these men would pursue, and was very wil- 
ling to be guided by Daniels, to avoid being followed by 
these fellows. Mr. Daniels, not being willing to be kept 
close prisoner there by these men, — and the night was com- 
ing oh, too, and he wished to be at home, — went out to a 
trusty friend’f^ store, ^dvisecl him of what was going? 


102 


A SPORTY YOUNG LADY. 


and asked him to allow one of his lady clerks, about Hattie’s 
size, to go to the hotel parlor, the gentleman to follow 
soon ; and the girl, for the fun of the thing, if nothing 
more,” as she giddily said, acquiescing, made entry to the 
hotel parlor, whence Mr. Daniels took her to Hattie’s room, 
and caused her to assume Hattie’s hat and shawl, in ex- 
change for which Hattie took hers ; and after the merchant 
had come over to the hotel, and had been made acquainted 
with Hattie, Mr. Daniels took the young lady, and pro- 
ceeded through the hall to the street ; and acting as if 
utterly oblivious or careless of the existence of these fel- 
lows, passed on, with his thickly-veiled charge upon his 
arm, down the street. In crossing to the opposite side, at 
no gi^eat distance from the hotel, he had opporlunity to 
look back without being suspected, and saw Harland, and 
the man “ Rowe ” (the one whom he had knocked down at 
Bellows’ Falls), following slowly, but with eyes bent upon 
him. He would have been better satisfied had he seen the 
third following him. The young lady liked the sport, and 
Daniels lecf the fellows quite a chase, and finally brought 
about to the store of his friend, trusting that the latter’s 
sagacity had enabled him meanwhile to leave the hotel 
with Hattie, and take her to Mr. Brown’s, on Sixth Avenue. 

He had told Hattie to take the key of her room with her, 
and give it to his friend. The surprise of the scamps in 
seeing Mr. Daniels come away from this store, and leave 
Hattie” there, must have been considerable. Mr. D. 
went back to the hotel, and to his joy found that the mer- 
chant had gone with the real Hattie ; and he withdrew to 
the store again, and awaited his return, which he made in 
good time. It was then arranged that the porter of the 
store should be sent for Hattie’s trunk, and it be brought 
there. Mr. D. went with the porter, paid the bills, and 
took the trunk, brought it to the store, whence the next 
day it was sent to Hattie’s new home, and Mr. D^. then 
betook himself to bis own home, — feeling- that his strata- 
gem had saved Hattie much annoyance in the fnturei 


A PAINFUL SURPRISE. 


103 


and perhaps much suffering. The next day the ladies re^ 
exchanged, through the porter, their hat^ and shawls, and 
Mr. Daniels, being called away from the city soon on busi- 
ness, and being exceedingly occupied for some two months 
and over, had almost lost memory of Hattie altogether. 
She, however, called at his house once in the mean while^ 
in his absence from home, and had a cheerful reunion ” 
with the wife and the family. Mrs. Daniels took the great- 
est interest in her, and regarded her beauty as something 
almost superhuman,” she said. She knew that as a child 
she bade fair to become a beautiful woman ; but the change 
had been so great in her in the last eight years (for Mrs. 
Daniels had seen her once since her husband had, be- 
fore the latter’s late meeting with her), that she would 
not have known her at first, had she not given her her 
name, and then could barely recognize that it was she. 

Mrs. Daniels gladly accepted the husband’s invitation to 
go down and call on Hattie Newberry,” which they did ; 
and on entering the confectioner’s shop, what was Mr. Dan- 
iels’s astonishment and horror, on discovering there both 
Harland and McHenry, in cheery conversation with one 
of the girls, whom he took, and who so proved, to be Char- 
lotte Keeney, Hattie’s cousin ! Evidently they were old 
acquaintances of hers. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels passed by 
them, on to where they discovered Hattie, who saluted 
them cordially, asked them into the little rear saloon, and 
called in her employer, Mr. Brown, to whom she presented 
them as old friends, who “ used to live in Vermont.” They 
had a charming visit with Hattie, who Avas released from 
her engagements by her kind employer, in order to enter- 
tain them, and Mr. Brown sent in confections and goodies ” 
for them to carry back to their family, and gave them much 
of his attention besides. Mr. Daniels was indignant to find 
those two men there ; but he knew not precisely what to 
do. Had they hunted out Hattie, or were they old ac- 
quaintances of Charlotte, and had found Hattie there by 
accident when calling on the former ? Were they time-old 


104 


WELL^BEHA VED ^^GENTLEMEN: 


customers of the place, or recent comers? These and such 
like questions occupied his mind. He wanted to speak to 
Mr. Brown, and tell him of the character ofHhese men ; but 
they might be good customers, — certainly they were lav- 
ish with their money that night, — and it was clear that 
Charlotte liked them ; indeed she seemed fond of them, 
and Mr. Daniels hesitated as to what to do, for fear of 
giving offence. He knew the reputation of Mr. Brown, to 
be sure, and that he would not wish his clerks to be on 
terms of friendship with such villains, if he knew their 
true character. But then he, Daniels, was a comparative 
stranger to Mr. Brown, and why should Brown accept his 
single word as against such well-behaved gentlemen,’^ 
who were good customers, too. Besides, business men, 
however good they may be themselves, exist upon, and 
make their money out of, their customers ; and whoever 
should enter upon a close scrutiny of the character of his 
patrons in New York, would be apt to find nine scamps in 
every ten persons. The fact is, that the greed for money 
is so great in New York, and all over the country, that the 
best men come to be as polite to their most wicked patrons 
and customers, as to those of high and noble characters. 
Mr. Daniels, as a detective, whose business it is to 
mind other people’s business ” in some respects, felt 
more keenly than most men feel the like, the propriety 
and expediency of minding his own business, and was 
cautious in his proceedings therefore. He made up his 
mind to say nothing to any one except Hattie, at first, at 
least ; and so, when she, and his wife, and himself were 
quite alone together, he spoke to her of these men as 
the ones whom they had encountered on the cars, and 
whom she had escaped. What was not his astonishmer 
wlien he found that she did not recognize them as such 
It appeared that Harland was an old friend of Charlotte, 
of whom Charlotte had, in fact, written her before she 
came on, — speaking of her having been, the night before 
her letter was dated, to the theatre, with her friend, Mr, 


^^GOOD customers: 


105 


Harlaud, “a very fine, spirited gentleman,’’ etc., whom 
Hattie would like, she thought. Mr. Daniels had not 
mentioned the names of these men to Hattie on the day 
of her escape from the hotel. It had not occurred to him 
to do that ; and when, in the course of a week or two after 
her arrival at Mr. Brown’s, Harland called on Charlotte, 
who received him joyfully, and after a while presented 
him in warm terms to Hattie, she of course did not recog- 
nize him by his name, though she thought she’d seen him 
somewhere ; but she refiected that on her way to her ' 
boarding-house — for she did not board with Charlotte 
— she saw many noticeable men, and probably had encoun- 
tered him somewhere in going or coming. But notwith- 
standing Mr. Daniels’s assurance, she could not identify 
either of the men as having been aboard the cars that day ; 
and it was evident that they had made quite a pleasant 
impression upon her mind. They had been there quite 
often ; and Mr. Daniels, from what he saw of their sly 
glances towards Hattie, discovered that it was she, rather 
than Charlotte, whom they came most to see. But Mr. 
Daniels was not willing to leave without making some fur- 
ther efibrt in Hattie’s behalf; and he asked her to call 
Charlotte into the room, to see him and his wife, while Hat- 
tie should wait upon the customers, and especially these 
men. He thought that possibly Hattie might yet call 
them to mind as the scamps who pursued her that day. 

It was evident to him that the men recognized him, and 
were bound to stay as long as he did, and entertain Char- 
lotte. They proved themselves good customers ” that 
night, if never before ; in fact, Hattie confessed that she 
thought they had bought more that night than in all their 
calls before. She went, at Mr. Daniels’s request, and asked 
Charlotte to go into the little room ; and Charlotte said she 
would soon.” The men heard the request, and it was 
clear that they meant that she should not go, and so they 
kept chatting on ; but Hattie, going out again, and evincing 
some anxiety, Charlotte excused herself to the men, and 


106 


MR. DANIELS VOWt^-HEARTED. 


went, not however till Harland, calling her back after she 
had gone a few steps after Hattie, said something to her. 
She came to the table where Mr. and Mrs. Daniels were 
sitting, and thanked them for their wish to see her, but 
said they must excuse her ; that they saw how occupied 
she was, and that Mr. Brown, though a kind, generous 
man, was very earnest in wishing his clerks to do their 
full duty, and not lose a chance to trade. She hoped they 
would come again, and find her more at leisure. Of course 
Mr. Daniels could have nothing to reply to this, but to 
thank her, etc., and she bowed herself away pleasantly, 
and so Daniels was foiled in that move ; and at last, con- 
tented himself with earnest advice to Hattie to let these 
men alone, to avoid them all she could, and to tell Charlotte 
their true character, and that they were the men who per- 
secuted her on the day of her arrival. Hattie promised to 
heed Mr. Daniels’s advice, and she told Charlotte about the 
men, on the first good opportunity that she had ; but Char- 
lotte could not believe it, especially as Hattie had not rec- 
ognized Harland before, and confessed that she could not 
yet call him to mind. But Mr. Daniels cannot be mis- 
taken,” said she. I did not look the men in their faces 
much. I avoided them, and would not be apt to remember 
them in other dress, and coming here as your old friends.” 
But Charlotte would not be persuaded, and believed Mr. 
Daniels mistaken. Indeed, she finally told Hattie that 
Harland said he had seen her friend, Mr. Daniels, some- 
where before ; couldn’t say where ; but that he was a man 
of poor character he knew, and he wondered Hattie al- 
lowed him and his wife to call on her. This, Mr. Daniels 
heard long after from Hattie’s lips. That night Mr. D. 
went home down-hearted, feeling that he had failed to im- 
press Hattie sufficiently of her danger ; but he had made 
her promise him, that if she ever had any serious trouble 
she would seek his aid, and that she would call on him and 
his family, whenever she couJd find it convenient to do so, 
Time went on, and though Mr. mind frequently 

23 « 


THE INCORRUPTIBLE. 


107 


reverted to Hattie, yet his business cares did not allow 
him to visit her. He made up his mind that night that 
the wretches intended to possess themselves of her in 
some way, and that they would carry out their vile pur- 
pose if possible. He talked with Mrs. Daniels about it. 
Such beauty as Hattie’s would not fade easily, and such a 
prize as she would be sought. He hoped she’d make the 
acquaintance of some good man, and get married, and thus 
be saved from trouble ; but he reflected that these villains 
would manage to keep such men as that away from her. 
As for themselves, even if either of them was moved by 
her beauty to love her, he probably then had a half dozen 
wives somewhere ; and would prefer her as mistress rather 
than wife, even if he were unmarried. Mrs. Daniels had 
no fear for Hattie ; which consoled Mr. Daniels somewhat. 
She said she knew that such a girl as Hattie could take 
care of herself as against the seducers. She felt in her 
woman’s nature that there was something in Hattie’s com- 
position which the despoiler could not corrupt, and which 
would be her protection ; besides, Hattie’s duties required 
her services evenings, and these men had not much op- 
portunity to ply their villanous arts. Mr. Daniels deferred 
a good deal to his wife’s judgment in this, and felt more 
easy — and time wore on. 

Three or four more months had passed, and one night, 
just as Mr. Daniels had returned home, there was a violent 
ringing of his door-bell, which he answered on the spot, not 
having yet removed his overcoat. The messenger had 
come for him, with imploring word from Hattie Newberry, 
that he should at once come to the Jefferson Market Sta- 
tion to see her. She was in trouble : charged with crime, 
and was almost frantic ; had been rescued, an hour before, 
from the North River, where she had attempted to drown 
herself, and was calling, in incoherent terms, his name, and 
much which they could not make out. He must go at 
once, and he did, with a willing but a sad heart. He re- 
volved all sorts of possibilities m bis wind be aecotp* 


108 


FATHER AND DAUGHTER. 


panied the messenger, and arriving at the station-house, 
found there poor Hattie, who, recognizing him, rushed 
upon him, threw her arms about his neck, and exclaimed, 
“ 0, if I had but minded your good advice. I am not 
guilty ! not guilty ! — and I wanted to die.’’ No, no, Hat- 
tie, you are not guilty,” he replied ; “ no matter what the 
charge is, you are not guilty of any crime.” At this point 
a brother detective stepped up, one of Mr. Daniels’s best 
friends. His clothes were still wet, and Daniels exclaimed, 
“ What, was it you, Montgomery, that rescued my child here 
from the water? God bless you ! ” Yes,” — and Mont- 
gomery, pulling him by his sleeve, as if to take him away, 
he said to Hattie, Be calm, Hattie, you are my child, and 
nothing shall hurt you ; excuse me a moment. I’ll be right 
back.” Yes, yes,” interposed Montgomery, who was a 
splendid officer, and greatly respected by all about the 
station, “I assure you that what Mr, Daniels says is 

right. You Shall not be harmed, and we’ll be back 

soon.” 

Daniels and Montgomery went aside, and the latter said. 
Tell me all about this girl, Daniels. I never saw such 
beauty. I thought one spell she’d drag me down, but I 

would have gone under willingly to save her ; and when 

she called your name I was glad, for I knew all was right 
somehow — but I haven’t questioned her much ; indeed, 
she’s been half delirious till you came ; but I see her eye 
is getting natural.” Montgomery then went on to tell him 
how he happened to be down near the wharf, saw a well- 
dressed girl running in such a mad way as to arrest his 
attention, and he followed her, and saw her plunge off the 
dock, but not before she had paused a second, and looked 
about, when he caught sight of her wondrous face. His 
first thought was, that she was some unfortunate of the 
town, who had resolved to end her unhappy career ; but 
he stripped off his outer coat and boots, and ran along 
some logs which were lying in the water, and reached out 
^ pole to Jier whicl^ he had caught up, 4s §be puff- 


AN ARCH-VILLAINS TRICK. 


109 


ing and struggling, she seized it, and he saw that the 
water had chilled out her purpose of suicide ; and, indeed, 
she cried for help, and he plunged in, finding the water 
deeper than he thought, and had a hard struggle to get 
out with her, for she was frantic, and grasped his arms so 
that he could hardly use them. He had gotten assistance 
and a carriage, and had taken her to the station, and 
quickly after arriving there had encountered an officer, 
who said he was after her ; that she was a thief, had stolen 
a diamond ring of great value, and, of course, lots of 
other thinge,” as he said. But Montgomery would not 
give her up till Daniels came, after hearing her call for 
him. This was all that Montgomery knew about the 
matter. 

Dry clothes had been procured for Hattie, and she had 
recovered from her fright a little when Daniels came. 
Daniels told Montgomery all about her, and they both be- 
lieved her innocent, and resolved to save her. The charge 
was surely false, they said, and they went back to her, 
dismissed those about her, and asked her to tell them her 
trouble, which, in her plain, simple way she did. She had 
been charged by Harland with having filched from him a 
valuable diamond ring, worth three hundred dollars. She 
had denied it ; and Harland had asked her to let her room 
be searched, and she had willingly done so ; and in com- 
pany with an officer, she had gone to her room with Char- 
lotte and Mr. and Mrs. Brown, and allowed the search; 
and there, to her consternation, in her own reticule, 
wrapped up in a little white paper, was found the very 
ring Harland liad described. The villain slipped it in 
there in the search ! ’’ exclaimed Daniels. “ No, no,’’ said 
she, ‘‘ Mr. Brown opened the box, and found the reticule, 
and,, examined it himself. Harland did not touch it.” 

Did he examine anything ? ” No, he didn’t touch 
anything,” said she. Mr. Brown and Mrs. Brown did 
the searching ; he looked on.” Then,” said Montgomery, 
“ the villain had, in some way, got the ring in there. He 


110 RESOLVING TO PUT AN END TO HER LIFE, 


knew what the search would result in, — felt sure of his 
game/^ 

Mr. Brown was convinced of the girl’s guilt, and was 
going to discharge her. He was dreadfully perplexed by 
it, for he had thought Hattie the best of girls ; but her 
guilt was so apparent to him as to excite his old Puritan 
sense of justice. Mercy lost its hold in his heart, but he 
consented, at Harland’s suggestion,^ to let her stay a day 
or so longer. Harland said, that now he had got his ring 
he did not care to punish her ; that he presumed she had 
been sorely tempted by it, for she had seen it in his pos- 
session, and he knew well enough when she took it. He 
thought it too bad to not give her another trial; but Mr. 
Brown would have no thief in his employ, but would let 
her stay a day or two, — but not to work, — till Harland 
could get her a place. When Daniels and Montgomery 
got to this part of her story, they could account for the 
man’s villany ; and consulting with each other away from 
Hattie, concluded to send at once for Mrs. Daniels, for 
they saw that there were probably things which Hattie 
would prefer to tell to a woman. While the carriage was 
gone for Mrs. D., they learned further of Hattie’s story : 
that she partly loved Harland, that she was innocent of 
the theft, and somehow suspected him of having planned 
to destroy her character. The light began that day to 
open upon her mind, and she loathed him ; and so dreadful 
were her feelings, and so deep her sense of wrong at Mr. 
Brown’s hands, in that he had no charity for her, that, 
brooding over it all, and thinking what a horrible story 
would reach her home about her, she got frenzied, and 
resolved to put an end to her life. She expected Harland 
at about such an hour, and the nearer that approached the 
more terrible her condition seemed to be ; and finally, life 
seeming unendurable longer, she had rushed from the 
house, as it would seem, just about the time Harland and 
the officer with him had come. This would account for 
the appearance of the officer whom Montgomery had seen. 


9 



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EBSTELL AT SING SING. 






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yl SUDDEN IMPRISONMENT. 


113 




^‘‘That scamp is no officer/’ exclaimed Montgomery, when 
he came to hear this, for he was the same man, she said, 
who had accompanied Harland on the day of the search. 

I thought I had seen him before. Do you go, Daniels, 
and meet him, for he may know me. I think it is a wretch 
by the name of Harry Restell ; and if it is he, you’ll dis- 
cover a slit in the lobe of the left ear, shaped liked an in- 
verted ‘ V,’ and if you notice further, you’ll see a slight 
inclination of the head to the left side, as if the cords of 
the neck, on the left side, were a little shorter than on the 
other, and stiff. If you find so much, make his acquaint- 
ance pleasantly, get him to talk with you, and go with you 
about the cells, and without ceremony shut him in ; call 
Badger for the keys, and tell him I told you, for this will 
end that game, and send for me instantly. I’ll fix him. 
I want him.” Mr. Daniels went, and finding Restell, the 
man whom Montgomery suspected, was adroit enough to 
accomplish the feat given him to perform in less than fif- 
teen minutes; and Montgomery was delighted with the 
word to “ come.” He told Hattie to be calm ; that the 
rascals would be foiled, and she proved innocent, — as she 
was, in reality, before another day rolled round. He 
rushed to the cells, opened the one in which was Restell, 
drew in Daniels with him, and clutching the villain by the 
hair, said to him, “ I have you, you scamp, you murderer, 
you — ! ” But it will hardly do to repeat here the last 
word, implying crimes which, though common enough, are 
hardly fit for the eye of the general reader to see named 
in print. “ You show your guilt, and my proof you know, 
when I name Mary ; and now you have been person- 

ating an officer, helping that Harland to destroy an inno- 
cent girl. You have your choice, whether to go with me 
at once to the Tombs, and from there to Sing Sing Prison 
for five or ten years, or to tell me all about what Harland 
and you have been doing. Make a full confession.” Mont- 
gomery spoke as rapidly as lightning, and there was a 
terrible firmness and earnestness in voice. Restell 


8 


114 


THE CONFESSIOK. 


quivered. He saw that he was known. He had been 
guilty of a terrible crime ; had personated an officer, too, — 
a misdemeanor punishable with* fine, — and he was sure to 
be caught in the conspiracy with Harland ; and he thought 
it the better way to confess at once, which he did ; and 
he told Montgomery that Harland had managed to slip the 
ring into the girl’s reticule at the theatre a few nights be- 
fore ; that the ring was a paste one, and not a diamond 
ring ; that its setting was really worth about twenty-five 
dollars, but the diamond being only paste, Harland had 
not risked much ; that Harland wanted to degrade the 
girl, get her away from her place, get her a situation him- 
self, make her dependent on him, and finally make her his 
mistress. And he told me I might have her a part of the 
time, if I would help support her,” said Restell ; and when 
I came to see her, I found her so beautiful that I agreed 
to help him, and went with him, as an officer, to look for 
the ring, and we were after her to-night, and got there 
five minutes after she’d left. That’s how ’tis,” said he, 
and I went one way in search of her, and Harland an- 
other.” “ Where were you to meet when one of you 
found her? ” quickly asked Daniels. At Washington Pa- 
rade Ground, on this north-west corner.” Ay, ay,” 
said Daniels, “ I know that fellow. We’ll nab him,” — and 
taking an officer with him, proceeded at once to the spot, 
and luckily found Harland walking back and forth there, 
very nervously. Daniels knew him, and without a. word, 
as they were about to pass each other, knocked the rascal 
down, and fell upon him, while the officer clutched him 
too. “ Don’t make any noise, or you are a dead man,” 
said Daniels. Give me that diamond ring the first thing, 
or die,” clutching the scoundrel by the throat, till he was 
so nearly dead that he could hardly point with his finger 
to an inside vest pocket, where Daniels put his hand, and 
found a wallet, in which he found the ring. Getting that, 
he let the scamp up. He wanted the ring to prove its 
paste character, as one of the evidences against the vil* 


HATTIE* S INNOCENT IGNORANCE. 


115 


lafn. “ Now/^ said he, “ Restell is nabbed. You see he 
has ' peached ’ on you, and we want you to go along with 
us to him.’^ The officer told Harland that if he didnT go 
quietly, he would “ put the irons on and Harland felt 
the propriety of subjection, without any attempt at escape. 
Meanwhile Mrs. Daniels had arrived, and being instructed 
by Montgomery, had inquired into Harland’s conduct to- 
wards her. It was evident that his intentions had long been 
to possess her, but that the girl, in her innocence, had not 
known what he meant ; and when he had asked her to 
marry him, although she had considerable liking of, and af- 
fection for him, she had refused to accept him for the time, 
and he had urged her several times. She said he was al- 
ways quite nervous, and sometimes almost angry, that she 
would not marry him ; yet, after all, he had been very 
kind to her in most respects ; had made her several pres- 
ents, and taken her and her cousin to the theatre, etc., 
whenever they could get away from the shop. Some 
things which she told Mrs. Daniels, on the latter’s mi- 
nutely inquiring into the modes in which he had treated 
her, and what he had said, showed a peculiar innocence in 
the girl, amounting to almost stupidity. Yet it was no 
wonder, after all, in view of her careful rearing at home. 

What Mrs. D. learned confirmed Mr. D.’s and Montgom- 
ery’s theory, and with it, and all they had learned before, 
they had solved the problem. Harland saw how thorough- 
ly he was caught, and thought best to acknowledge that 
what Restell had disclosed was the truth ; that the girl 
was innocent ; and he went so far as to express his love for 
her with tears, and was allowed to see her, and beg her 
pardon on his knees, with protestations of love, and his 
desire to marry her. He was allowed to do this, only that 
Hattie might have better evidence of her innocence, for it 
was done in Mr. and Mrs. Daniels’s and Montgomery’s pres- 
ence. Harland wanted to give her the ring which Daniels 
handed to her for him, but she spurned it ; and Daniels 
said he would keep it for her, to which Harland consented ; 


116 


HUSBAND AND WIPH. 


for Daniels had a notion that Harland would yet do evil 
with it if he possessed it. To make all sure, Mr. Brown 
was sent for, routed out of bed, and brought before the 
girl and Harland, and Harland made to repeat his confes- 
sion before him. Mr. Brown was delighted, put his arms 
about Hattie, called her his own child, and said he could 
not all the while believe she meant to do any wrong ; but 
there was the ring in the reticule, and she had stoutly de- 
nied having any such ring ; and how could it have gotten 
in there without her putting it there? etc. This had 
convinced him against his will ; but he said he would never 
believe any charge against anybody on circumstantial evi- 
dence again. Hattie was taken back into his employ, re- 
mained with him over a 5’ear, as kindly cared for as if she 
was his child, and finally went back to Vermont as the 
wife of young Phelps, who had, at last, overcome his fa- 
ther’s objections, mostly through his mother’s interces- 
sions, who had died meanwhile, and who, on her death- 
bed, had made him promise to let the son marry the girl 
he loved. 

Harland agreed to leave New York forever if proceed- 
ings were not taken against him ; and having money enough 
(obtained, though, by gambling and forgeries), the officers 
thought it no wrong to make him pay pretty liberally for 
the trouble he had made ; and Mr. Daniels, having Hattie’s 
good at heart, was not easy with him in his demands, but 
secured enough, so that Mr. Brown could afford to do a 
great deal for her ; for, at different times, Mr. Daniels put 
sums of money into Mr. Brown’s hands to buy this or that 
for Hattie, letting her suppose that it all came from Brown’s 
generosity ; and it should be added, that the latter was gen- 
erous to her also, for he always added to the sums given 
him, and purchased better things than directed for her, as 
a sort of quietus, it is supposed, to his wounded conscience, 
in believing that she was guilty. Harland decamped ; but 
he came back at last, and carried Charlotte Keeney off with 
him somewhere as his wife, — which was the strangest 


MAJSrS CONSTANCY, 


117 


part of the story. She had loved him before Hattie came, 
and he had probably loved her, but Hattie^s great beauty 
had attracted him from her ; that is, his affection, — for he 
had always taken Charlotte along with Hattie to theatres 
and elsewhere. The fact is, there was a jealousy of Hattie 
in Charlotte’s heart, so great, that though she loved her 
cousin, it seemed that she was almost sorry that she 
proved innocent at last ; and she felt Harland’s absence, 
notwithstanding his villany, greatly. The heart of a wo- 
man will cling to- her lover or husband in crime or oblo- 
quy, almost as strongly as the heart of a loving man will 
cling to, and protect, the woman he really loves, doing 
deeds of crime at her will, and, in fact, wrecking i^fortune, 
and health, and life at her behest. It is common to de- 
clare the constancy of woman greater than that of man ; 
but that is a false notion, cherished only by the inexpe- 
rienced in human nature’s laws. Charlotte found pardon 
in her own heart for Harland ; and if she did not invent 
sensible excuses for his conduct, was not wanting in the 
number of them. She married, and was heard from after- 
wards as living happily with him somewhere. 

Restell expected to escape his deserts by peaching on 
Harland ; but Montgomery had not so promised him when 
Daniels caged him in the cell, and Montgomery had taken 
care to not do so, for officers of the law and detectives are 
very scrupulous about keeping their plighted word to even 
the basest criminals. And if they were not so, the whole 
fraternity of wretches would know it, and refuse to give 
evidence at any time, and thus many a criminal mystery 
would go unexplained, and many an innocent, like Hattie, 
might suffer the full consequences of a criminality of 
which they were not guilty. It is often better to let a 
dozen guilty go than that one innocent should suffer. 
Restell was taken to the Tombs, on charge of a crime here 
unmentionable ; but a portion of the evidence against him 
failed by the death of a witness for the prosecution, 
whilQ he lay in prison, and a matter of forgery having 


118 A KEEN OBSERVER OF HUMAN NATURE. 


meanwhile become disclosed involving him, he was -tried 
on that, and sent to Sing Sing for four years and some 
months — the longest term the law would allow for his 
offence. 

Mr. Daniels interwove in this narrative many interest- 
ing facts, to which I cannot, at this distance of time, do 
justice. He was a keen observer of human nature, and 
told a story pleasantly. He recited to me many other 
tales of almost equal interest ; and, as I learn that he is 
alive at this writing, I am not sure that I shall not try to 
hunt him up, and engage him to give zest, with his piquant 
stories, to these pages ; for it matters not whose an inter- 
esting experience may be, so that we have the facts. 
Truly, “ facts are stranger than fictions ’’ often ; and it has 
occurred to me, while hunting over my diaries and bur- 
nishing up my memory, to hint to my publishers that the 
truest, shortest, and best way to collect a volume of mar- 
vellous experiences would be to invite a number of detec- 
tives to dinner, accompanied by short-hand reporters, and 
treat them so well that they tarry with their story-telling 
through the night. 


► / 












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Ok 



ABOUT BOGUS LOTTERIES. 


HOW THEY ARE “ GOT UP ” — THEIR MODE OP OPERATIONS DETAILED — 
HOW THEY MANAGE THE “DRAWN NUMBERS” BEFOREHAND — THE 
GREAT SHREWDNESS OP THE OPERATORS — THE SOCIAL RESPECTABILI- 
TY OP THESE — THE GREAT FIRM OF “ G. W. HUNTINGTON & CO.” — 
THE IMMENSE CIRCULATION OF THEIR JOURNAL — THEIR VICTIM, A 
MAINE FARMER, WHO BELIEVED IfE HAD “ DRAWN ” FIVE THOUSAND 
DOLLARS, AND COUNSELLOR WHEATON, HIS LAWYER, A STORY TO THE 
POINT — WHO INVEST IN LOTTERIES : CHILDREN, WIDOWS, CLERGYMEN, 
BANK CASHIERS, ETC. — HOW THE FIRM OF “ G. ’ W. H. & CO.” WAS 
CAPTURED — NO. 23, WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK, THEIR PRETENDED^ 
BANKING HOUSE — HOW A BOGUS LOTTERY COMPANY SWINDLED ITS 
OWN AGENTS — A QUEER TALE. 

The object of these narratives is not simply to paint hu- 
man nature in the color of its subtle facts, more strange 
than the imaginings of fiction, in order to excite the read- 
er’s mind as he runs over these pages, or to feed the 
greediness for the marvellous — not these alone : but the 
writer trusts that what he has taken so much pains to cull 
out of the repertoire of his observations and experiences, 
and from those of others, and reproduce here for the in- 
struction of his fellow-men, snail be found useful as well 
as interesting ; and by teaching those who are inclined to 
the commission of offences against law and the good order 
of society, that they cannot easily escape discovery if they 
commit crimes, shall prevent, to some degree, the perpe- 
tration of such crimes. But there are sufferers as well 
as guilty actors, and these the writer would serve also, as 
well as preserve the innocent and unwary from the opera- 
tion of those crafts and cunning devices by which they 
might be made sufferers. 

To-daj^, tumbling over aomQ pld file^ of notes and papers 


122 


WHAT THE PACKAGE CONTAINS. 


at the bottom of an old trunk, the contents of which had 
not been thoroughly disturbed for over ten years before, 
there came to light a sealed package, marked The Bogus 
Lottery Papers : not to be opened without my consent.’^ 
This package has awakened a host of “ memories of other 
days,” and decided me to wander a little perhaps from the 
preconceived line of these narratives ; and not so, either ; 
for in this tale it will be seen that the detective had his 
legitimate part to play in the matter which it recalls. 

The package is found to contain notes for guidance in 
working up the case ; letters from dupes or victims of the 
crafty speculators in human credulity ; bits of the per- 
sonal history of some of th^se wily scamps, and which they 
would hardly desire to see in public print, with their true 
names affixed (for some of them were and are of high rank 
in the business, social, and literary world) ; copies of cer- 
tain financial journals, devoted to the dissemination of re- 
markable facts tending to show the wise philosophy of 
nothing venture, nothing have,” and from their first col- 
umn to the last, filled with cunning lies ; my own corre- 
spondence with certain victims ; memoranda of facts gath- 
ered at sundry post offices and elsewhere ; piteous letters 
from the deluded; correspondence with lawyers on the 
subject at issue, etc., etc., — quite a little pile, as they lie 
on my table here. Some of the letters have grown dark 
with age, and there is a peculiar smell about them, as if 
they hinted at unsavory things, and so they do. 

And these remind one of other years very peculiarly, 
and suggest many thoughts on human weakness and per- 
versity. I am vexed not a little as I look over them, and 
call to mind the class of men who mingled in the iniquities 
of which I am about to speak, that I cannot write out these 
men^s names for the public eye. But some of them have 
reformed,” have gone into legitimate business, and have 
families dear to them, and who were ever quite uncon- 
scious of the modes by which their husbands and fathers 
obtaijied money here in this seething sea of iniquity of 


A SAD REFLECTION, 


123 


New York, — this worse than modern Babylon, — whom it 
would be cruel now to wound. And I call to memory now 
one of these operators in petty villany, who is dead — a no- 
ble fellow in the general way, a son of a distinguished 
father, well bred, and related by blood to some of the 
first, and really finest people in New York. Ah I what 
would a certain philanthropist say — a man who leads no* 
ble charities, devotes his now declining years to the prac* 
tical duties of a Sunday school teacher, and whose voice 
has been, within a few years past, heard in the national Con- 
gress,as that of one of the few there whom the corruptions of 
politics have not stained ; a man of large wealth, with which 
he makes far less display than many a man of the expen- 
sive habits of these latter days with but a tenth or fiftieth 
of the former’s income, and a man of marked intelligence, 
too, as well as of high morals, — what would he say, were it 
disclosed to him that his relatives, his nephews, the sons 
of his not unnoted sisters, were participants in these 
crimes, — cool-blooded, mean, devilish, — and continued, and 
carried on, under the guise of business,” and indeed as a 
business for years ? But if this simply, were told him, he 
could not understand the half, for he would not know the 
half. I shall spare the participants in those criminal 
schemes the mention of their names here, though I con- 
ceive that I should have done no more than my duty had 
I, at the time in question, given them publicity through 
the press. But even in the last ten years the public sen- 
timent has largely changed, not only in New York, but 
throughout the country, perhaps, in regard to the true 
standard of morals, or the recognition of any standard at 
all, may be ; and those who are acquainted with the modes 
of conducting business in Wall Street, — (the real centre 
of practical government for the fiation), — and therefore 
know what iniquities transpire there in the way of “ legit- 
imate business,” so called, could hardly be surprised at 
anything I might disclose of the past. It is a sad reflec- 
tion that the greed of gain governs everything else iu 


124 


COMPOUNDING A FELONY. 


these days in this Union ; and that the manner of obtain- 
ing a fortune is, in most people^s opinion, of no account, 
however vile, in comparison with the matter of possessing 
it. Money is a veil which will cover every crime, and no- 
body knows this fact more surely than the detective. It 
is a fact, that to save anything like a fair proportion of the 
value of a thing stolen, the loser will almost universally 
compromise with the thief when the detective secures 
him. Compounding a felony,’^ in itself a crime at the 
Common Law, has become so universal as to be the com- 
mon law ” itself : and in New York it is a matter of but 
slight disgrace, at most, to be guilty of any crime ; and 
especially of those crimes by which the perpetrator se- 
cures a large amount of money. Wall Street, for example, 
is thronged every day by men in respectable and high 
ranks of society, who are frequently guilty of crimes 
which would, a generation ago, have consigned them to 
the State Prison for a long term of years, if not for life. 
But after all, the reflection comes that morals, like the 
matter of conscience, are educatable, changeable ; and 
that the hearts of men are not so very bad at bottom, 
most wrongs being chargeable to the institutions of the 
people. Competition, instead of cooperation, being the rule, 
and the depraved doctrines of such writers as Carlyle, ad- 
vocating the development of the individual, rather than 
the interest of communities and blended peoples, have had 
a direct tendency to increase the volume of crime. 

But I will, with these prefatory remarks,” return to 
the body of my subject. New York contains a large num- 
ber of people who obtain their living by the practice of 
frauds, of one kind and another. The gambling saloons, 
with their marked cards, and faro banks, so arranged that 
while the pretension of fairness is observed, the chances 
in favor of the bank are made sure in the .proportion 
of ninety per cent, to ten per cent, for every hundred dol- 
lars which go upon the table ; the iniquitous corners ” 
made in Wall Street^ and all the fine scheming of the 


BOGUS COMPANIES. 


125 


Bulls and the Bears, etc., etc., illustrate this. In fact, com- 
merce itself is, in all its avenues, made to bend to this skill 
of fraud in making money, and making a living; and it is 
a wonder that there are not more, rather than less of the 
institutions of which I am about to speak, in New York. 
These exist to-day : but it is a long while since I have 
been called into relations with them in a professional ca- 
pacity. 

At the time to which I allude, there were several bogus 
Lottery Companies having their centre in New Xork, and 
extending their operations all over the country, fleecing 
the credulous people to the extent of hundreds of thou- 
sands of dollars a year. In Maryland and in Georgia, and 
also in Kentucky, at that time, lotteries were licensed, and 
perhaps in some other States ; but most of the States pro- 
hibited them. Cuba, too, licensed extensive lotteries, and 
Havana was, as she still is, the chief city of the world, 
perhaps, in this respect. The bogus companies in New 
York mostly pretended to be agents of the legitimate 
companies to which I allude above ; and purported to give 
their “ policy-holders the true reports of the public draw- 
ings of these lotteries, by which their fate, as winners or 
losers, was decided. Among these companies of scamps, 
was one, self-styled G. W. Huntington &, Co.,’’ concocted 
and managed by men of classical education , high bred, 
representing some of the really best families in the land, 
but who had not been as fortunate in legitimate business 
as desirable, and so resorted to this course of fraud in 
order to make money easier, and more of it. They knew 
the value of advertising, to any business, and they pub- 
lished a sheet in the form, in part, of a literary paper, in 
which counterfeit schemes of the companies they pre- 
tended to represent, were set forth in due style. It ap- 
peared, in the course of my investigation of these affairs, 
that this company issued monthly no less than two hun- 
dred thousand copies of this paper, which were sent to 
various addresses, culled out of directories, and otherwise 


126 


ilOW THEY OPERATED. 


obtained, from almost every village as well as city in the 
nation, north and south, east and west ; but principally in 
the Western and Middle States. As the agents of the com- 
panies they pretended to represent, and of pretended com- 
panies too, which never had an existence, these men were 
in constant receipt of letters, containing from fifty cents, 
as a minimum, up to ten dollars, usually the maximum, 
from their victims, who wished to purchase tickets in 
this or that drawing; and they got tickets in return, to be 
sure. I was informed that these letters were received in 
numbers varying from thirty to a hundred a day, for sev- 
eral days, and even weeks at a time, when some especially 
grand drawing ” was announced to soon take place. 
Their mode of operations, as disclosed in our investiga- 
tions, was this: They first fixed upon nine numbers, which 
they were to report after the alleged (pretended) drawing 
should have taken place, as the numbers drawn — thus, 
for example : — 

1, 7, 14, 35, 11, 8, 55, 91, 240. 

According to their “ rules,’^ whoever chanced to hold a 
ticket upon which any three of the above numbers should 
appear in consecutive order (as, for example, 1, 7, 14 ; or 
11,8,55; or 7, 14, 35) — would draw the largest prize 
of the scheme in which he bought his ticket, and in many 
of these schemes such sums as $50,000, or $100,000, or 
$250,000, were announced as the chief prizes ; and then 
there were numerous small prizes in each scheme which 
the ticket holder was sure to draw if he happened to hold 
a ticket with numbers thereon, which should represent 
two of the above numbers consecutively ; and so on ran 
their rules. Well, having previously decided what num- 
bers they would report to their countless victims as the 
drawn numbers, these wily scoundrels had, for their safety, 
only to take care in issuing each ticket to see that it did 
not contain any three of the drawn numbers in consecu- 
tive order. To A, for example, they would send a ticket 


AN ENCOURAGING LETTER, 


127 


bearing the Nos. “ 1/' “ 7/' 80 ; to B, “ 11/’ 8,” 200, etc., 

etc. ; and after the “ drawing ” they would send their re- 
port, containing a slip of paper bearing the nine “ drawn 
numbers,” as above arranged, with a letter, running 
somewhat this wise. — I am sure I had, at one time, several 
of the letters actually sent to victims, but they do not dis- 
close themselves from my package now ; but no matter, 
for my memory of them is pretty clear. The report of 
drawings was private ; but the letters were usually written 
with a pen, in part, in order the better to flatter each per- 
son that the company took especial notice of him, and 
hoped for his particular success. 

(Here was a picture of their Banking OjBSce.) 

Banking House of G. W. Huntington & Co., Bankers and Brokers, 
and Dealers in Foreign Exchange, and Agents for the chief 
Baltimore and Havana Lotteries, 23 William Street. 

“ New York, June 14, 1858. 

John Henry Jones, Esq., Harnshurcjhj Pa. 

The public drawing of the ‘ Grand Consolidated Lot- 
teries ’ of Baltimore, Md., No. , took place as adver- 

tised, yesterday. Herewith find slip bearing the drawn 
numbers.” (Thus far, save the address, printed, then fol- 
lowed in writing.) “ We are sorry fo perceive that your 

ticket in scheme No. , and numbered 14, 35, 80, has 

drawn a blank. But you observe that you came near win- 
ning the chief prize, as- we heartily wish you had (as it is 
for our interest as agents that our special customers be 
lucky); '14, 35,’ only needed *11’ to follow them, to 
have made you a rich man. But perhaps your luck will 
come next time. 'Perseverance is a virtue which wins 
in the long run.’ Hoping for your further favors, and 
that you will yet be amply lucky, we beg to remain, 

" Your obedient, humble servants, 

" G, W. Huntington & CoP 


128 


AHUANGING THE NUMBERS. 


Now, “John Henry Jones, Esq.'^ was probably an igno- 
rant, low-minded, dirty-faced ironmonger, of Harrisburgh, 
who managed now and then to get together a few dollars, 
and had a hankering to get rich fast. His letter to the 
company was badly spelled, and so forth ; but it contained 
money, and was, therefore, as acceptable as the elegantly- 
written letter of some cashier of a bank in Ohio, or some 
poor clergyman of Illinois, who thought it no harm to try 
his luck for once — (for many clergymen, as well as others, 
get bitten by these schemes). John had never been ad- 
dressed as “ Esquire before ; never received such a 
polite letter in his life, and from a great banking house, in 
the largest city on the continent I and John was flattered. 
Besides, he had almost drawn a great prize \ of course he 
would “ try again,’’ and again, and again, for it appears that 
many persons become infatuated in this sort of speculation, 
and will buy lottery tickets several times a year, and year 
after year, for a long period, even without a particle of 
success. 

When a customer sent these fellows ten dollars, they 
would so arrange the numbers on his ticket, sometimes, 
in relation to the prepared drawn numbers, as to allow 
him to draw one, two, or three dollars, so that he should 
not feel that his loss had been entire, and to tempt him by 
a little success to try again for a greater one. This will 
serve to illustrate the business ways of the fellows ; and 
just here, since it now comes to mind, perhaps I had bet- 
ter note a little “ side issue ” of one pf these companies, 
of which I was told by one of the participants. The com- 
pany had its agents, — postmasters, many of them, — all over 
the country, — and thought they would make a little specu- 
lation on their agents themselves. So they prepared a 
splendid “ scheme,” — a wonderful Grand Consolidated 
Union Drawing, etc. The tickets were most elegantly 
printed, and vary-colored, in red, blue, and black, on the 
nicest paper. No ticket in this grand scheme was less 
than ten dollars. To some fifteen hundred of their agents. 


A SHREWD DEVICE. 


129 


in as many different localities, they s§nt from three to five 
of these tickets each, with a printed letter, but marked 
very confidential,’' setting forth the great advantages of 
the new scheme, and suggesting that among these tickets 
were doubtless many prizes, and the company did not ex- 
pect to reap much profits from the sale of tickets in this 
scheme, but were anxious that its old customers should 
reap the prizes, and so forth. Of course the company did 
not expect that any agent would be able to sell all the 
tickets sent him, even though so few, and were surprised 
that many were disposed of before the time of the alleged 
drawing. On the day of the “ drawing,” more than nine 
tenths of the tickets still remained unsold, and unreported 
upon in the hands of the agents. Having prepared writ- 
ten letters in anticipation of the small sales, as a part of 
the trick, they sent them forth to each agent. The letter 
ran something like this, in substance : — 

Dear Sir : The drawing of the Grand C. U. Lottery 
took place at Baltimore, at twelve M., yesterday. Please 
to return us the tickets. Nos. — , — , — , — , — , now in 
your hands, at once, without fail, and buy bach any, if you 
can, which you may have disposed of, and charge us, and 
ask no questions, and we will send you certified copy of 
drawing immediately on your reply. 

Yours, most respectfully, 

, u 


This being an unusual way of doing business, excited 
the agent’s suspicion. He reflected that probably some 
one of the tickets he held had drawn a great prize, and that 
the company meant to keep it, but he could not, of course, 
guess which ; and so as to secure the prize himself, he 
would hold all the tickets, send on the money for them, 
with an apology for not having reported earlier, and fre- 
quently with a long lie about the trouble he had had, and 
naming this of that man to whom the tickets had been 


9 


130 


MAMMOTH PRIZES. 


sold. So hundreds »of them sent in, after the day of the 
alleged drawing, from thirty to fifty dollars apiece, accord- 
ing to th^ number of tickets they held, and received by 
return mail a certified report ’’ of the drawing, by which 
they discovered that the tickets they held were all blanks, 
each, perhaps, thinking that somebody else had drawn the 
mammoth prizes.” This trick was fruitful to the amount 
of a great many thousands of dollars, and cost the com- 
pany only its expenses for printing, stationery, and post- 
age. These same agents continued to act for the com- 
pany, and I presume that not one of them to this day 
knows how he was taken in. But I trust that this narra- 
tive will fall into the hands of many a one of them, and 
open his eyes as to the fact of his having been made a 
tool of by designing scamps to cheat his neighbors, and to 
be cheated himself. 

The mayor of New York was constantly besieged, and 
I presume the same is the case now, with letters from all 
parts of the country, complaining that these writers had 
tried and tried their luck, time after time, in this or that 
company, in vain, and asking him regarding the standing 
of the company, and so forth. Sometimes a victim would 
get his eyes open, conceive that he had possibly been 
cheated ; or, having had some rupture by correspondence 
with the company, discovered that he was cheated, and 
beg the mayor to take the matter in hand. On two or 
three occasions, within my memory, the police have made 
raids upon such companies as they could get at ; but 
usually matters were so secretly conducted, that it would 
cost the police too much effort to get at anything decided, 
especially without extra compensation for their labors; 
and the frauds complained of in each case would gener^ 
ally amount to not over ten dollars at most, and the com^ 
plaints usually, perhaps always, came from obscure men, 
living at a great distance from New York, who could not 
afford to come and attend to the matter themselves. 

But the companies constantly had difficulty from one 


THE MAINE FARMER. 


131 


<][uarter of the land or another — enough so as to keep 
them all the while on the alert. Their oflSces were in ob- 
scure places. The members had business names which 
differed from their real ones. Ostensibly, they carried on 
a real estate business, for example, actually doing some- 
thing in that line for respectability's sake, and conducting 
their lottery swindle in some secret room, having a box at 
the post office, and sending for their letters a clerk, who 
was instructed to deposit the letters in some secret place, 
from which one of the firm would secretly take them. 
Thus they managed. But one day “ there came trouble 
into the camp ’’ of “ G. W. Huntington & Co.’^ They had 
sold a ticket to a sturdy, and somewhat intelligent farmer 
in or near Portland or Bangor, Maine. (I am unable to find 
his address at this writing.) When the alleged drawing 
took place, the company sent on its usual report to the 
farmer, among the rest of their victims, saying, You per- 
ceive that your ticket has unfortunately drawn a blank. 
We regret it,” etc. 

Now the farmer had “ studied up ” on the matter, 
and he saw that if they had sent him what they called 
the copy of the “ certified report ” of the drawing, he 
had drawn a prize of five thousand dollars, instead of a 
blank, and so he politely wrote the company about their 
mistake. Correspondence ensued, in which the company 
tried to convince the farmer that he was mistaken ; but it 
was of no use. ' The farmer was too keen for them, and 
insisted on his rights. He consulted a lawyer in his place, 
and the lawyer opened correspondence with the company, 
hinting that legal measures would be taken. The com- 
pany put the matter into their lawyer^s hands, and the two 
attorneys fired away at each other, the company laughing 
in tlieir sleeves over the humbugging they were operating 
on the Maine lawyer. Finally the farmer’s lawyer wrote 
on to say, that the farmer would go down to New York, 
and institute proceedings there, unless the prize was 
cashed within a week, and suggested that a suit would 


132 


G. W. HUNTINGTON ^ CO. 


seriously injure the credit of the company. To this the 
company, by.its lawyer, made no reply. 

The farmer came on, and proceeded to the “ Banking- 
house of G. W. Huntington & Co., 23 William Street.” 
He brought with him one of the company’s papers, in 
which was an engraving of the building, 23 William Street, 
with the great sign of G. W. Huntington & Co., Bankers,” 
running across the whole face of the building, in large let- 
ters. His astonishment can be guessed at when he failed 
to find any such bankers, or any such sign there. There 
was the building, correctly represented in the picture. 
The rest was fiction, of course. -The building, except 
the lower story, which was the office of some brokers, I 
believe, was occupied mainly as lawyers’ offices, and it 
chanced that the farmer, in his astonishment at not find- 
ing G. W. Huntington & Co. ” there, and being deter- 
mined to investigate the affair, and not be cheated out of 
his five thousand-dollar prize, after coming all the way 
from Maine, sought counsel at the office of one Mr. 
Wheaton, — a great criminal lawyer, and the son of the dis- 
tinguished author of an extensive and valuable work, in 
two volumes, on International Law and Practice. Mr. 
Wheaton was the same gentleman who, a few years ago, 
was run over by the Harlem train of cars, on its way out 
of the city, and killed. He was a very gentlemanly man, 
and heard the poor man’s case ; told him that the company 
was undoubtedly bogus ; but pitying the man, who was 
really not well off in this world’s goods, undertook to aid 
him, and through'the post office sent a very polite note 
to the company touching the matter. The note was po- 
litely responded to, and eventually, after three or four 
days’ delay, the company, securing a sharp and unscrupu- 
lous lawyer, sent him to wait upon Mr. Wheaton. The 
lawyer represented that he did not know the company’s 
place of business even, but was ready to treat for them ; 
that they would not pay a dollar, and that the whole trou- 
ble arose from some mistake. But Mr. Wheaton would 


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THE BOGUS LOTTERY OFFICE. 






i7 







WHAT HE GOT. 


135 


not settle without something being done ; but at last, after 
a few days, agreed to take thirty dollars, which would pay 
for the farmer’s travelling expenses to and from Maine. 
How the poor fellow met the rest of his expenses, I was 
* never told ; but he doubtless went back to Maine a 
wiser, if not a better man. (Should this article chance to 
fall under his eye, he can certainly do some of his neigh- 
bors good by reading it to them, and illustrating ” it in 
person, saying, Gentlemen, I was the man ! behold the 
picture ! and forever be wary of lottery agents.”) I had 
been called in to work up the case, but the settlement was 
effected the next day, and it was dropped. Mr. Wheaton 
had a conference with the mayor concerning it ; and after- 
wards, when, on several complaints being made against 
the company, the mayor resolved to trace out the com- 
pany, and break up their nefarious business, he sent 
for me. 

Numerous efforts had, at times theretofore, been made 
to hunt out these compmiies’ dens. Officers had been 
stationed inside the post office, and when a clerk — usual- 
ly a rusty, scampish-looking lad, or an old sinner of a man 
— came for the letters, and he took them, he was tracked, 
with the hope that he could be traced to the secret office. 
But he was too wary for that, — had had too good instruc- 
tions, — and escaped ; or, if next time he was arrested, after 
having been traced along a circuituous route, going into 
this or that crowded store, or eating-house, it would be 
found that he had already disposed of the letters, having 
adroitly handed them to one of the “ firm,” perhaps, prop- 
erly stationed at some point for the purpose of receiving 
them : or, if he was arrested at the post office with the let- 
ters in hand, he was found to be an individual not easily 
frightened, and when taken before the mayor, would de- 
clare that he did not know the company, or the individuals 
composing it; that some man, whose name he did not 
know, had employed him at fifty cents or a dollar a time 
to draw the letters with the box check or card. If the 


136 


MY OWN METHOD, 


mayor took away the check, all the company had to do 
was to write to the postmaster for another, alleging their 
loss. Keeping this fellow under arrest for some length 
of time did no good. The company readily found out 
about the arrest, and would send some lawyer to act for 
the clerk, and the result would be that he would be re- 
leased speedily, and go to drawing letters again. At- 
tempts had also been made to trace out the printers of the 
papers sent out by these companies. So great were the 
numbers of these at times that they seriously burdened 
the mails. The postage expenses to the companies must 
have been enormous; but advertising tells, and if only 
one paper in a hundred chanced to fall into the hands of 
a man who would be allured thereby to invest in lottery 
tickets, the business would pay. But after considerable 
search for the printers, within the city, it was concluded 
that the papers were printed somewhere else, and sent into 
New York in bulk, and privately prepared for the mails. 

This was the situation of things when I took hold of 
the matter. 1 was advised of what had previously been 
done, but was, of course, allowed to pursue my own method. 
After a day or two^s experimenting in following clerks 
from the post office, and finally tracking one of them into 
a lawyer’s office on Nassau Street, and being coolly in- 
formed by the lawyer that the company were his clients, 
and having had some difficulty with disaffected parties, 
had put their correspondence into his hands for a while, 
I thought best to pursue another course. There was 
little or no use in attempting to convict him of complicity 
with the matter. He said he would take his oath that he 
did not know whether the company was bogus or not, or 
were really the agents of responsible companies in foreign 
states ; and as for that matter he did not care. He had been, 
he said, employed by them to attend to certain legal mat- 
ters of theirs, and he never inquired into the private char- 
acter of his clients except wlien necessary. They pay 
me well for my services, generally advancing my fees, and 


EDITOR SYKES USEFUL. 


137 


I am satisfied.’’ My own opinion was, and is, that lie was 
one of the firm himself, and as guilty as any of the rest, 
but he was shrewd enough to not get trapped. I saw it 
would cost more than it would come to to pursue that 
line. If I arrested the letter clerks for a few days, and 
took them before the mayor, that would not break up the 
business. The company’s plans were safely laid. When 
T did get at them, I wanted to break them up effectually ; 
and I set myself about procuring copies of their papers, 
which I did by writing from the mayor’s office to the par- 
ties who had sent in their complaints, asking them to for- 
ward all documents and papers which they had received from 
the company. Receiving these, I submitted them to various 
wary and knowing printers, in order to find out at what 
office in the city the printing was probably done. A printer 
or newspaper man will ordinarily detect, by the size of col- 
umn, or some other peculiarity, from what paper a given 
extract has been clipped, as readily as a tailor can tell 
from whose shop a certain coat or pair of pantaloons came, 
or as easily as a man can distinguish the handwriting of 
his friends. But in this case 1 was baffied at first. No- 
body could give me any hint, till I .finally came across a 
printer then working in the Tribune office ; and on looking 
over some of the papers, he discovered something which 
reminded him of the style of a certain paper in Norwich, 
Connecticut ; and then, as if a new light had dawned upon 
him, suddenly exclaimed, “ By George ! I believe I have 

it, for I know that at the office, a year or two ago, 

the boys used occasionally to do a great deal of extra 
night work, and got extra pay. I never knew what ’twas.” 

In further conversation with him, I concluded that 
there must be something in it, and in a day or two 
posted off for Norwich, where I made the acquaintance 
of a gentleman by the name of Sykes, then editor of the 
“ Advertiser ” (I think that was the name of his paper), 
and was soon put in possession of abundant facts for the then 
present time. I learned that the papers for certain bogus 


138 


G, W. HUNTINGTON ^ CUS BULLETIN 


lottery companies, to the extent of several hundred thou- 
sand a month, were printed at a certain office there, and 
mailed through the Norwich post office ; that it was a 
matter of considerable pecuniary profit to the post office 
to have the mailing of these documents, and that certain 
men of much social respectability in Norwich were en- 
gaged in printing and mailing these papers, which they 
well knew to be the circulars of bogus lottery companies ; 
but I could do nothing with them ; and exposure of their 
conduct in Mr. Sykes’s paper was not likely to result in 
much good. The lottery papers reached parties who 
would not be apt to ever hear of the exposure ; besides, to 
make it was no part of my business on that occasion. I 
found, to my satisfaction, tliat whereas G. W. Hunting- 
ton & Co.’s Bulletin ” had formerly been printed in Nor- 
wich, and distributed from there over the country ; that it 
was now doubtless printed somewhere in New York, and 
at Norwich I prepared my traps to find out certainly 
where the papers were printed in New York, -ivliich fact 
I finally accomplished after a little delay. Determining 
about what time of the previous month the papers for the 
next month’s issue would be put to press, I made business 
to the printing office, and gave the printers an order a lib 
tie difficult to fill, and which I knew would have to be der 
layed. I also set a brother detective on their track with 
a like affair, so that we could have proper excuse for visit- 
ing the office occasionally. I managed to privately secure 
(no matter how, for somebody yet living might not wish 
me to tell) two or three copies of the paper then in pro- 
cess of being struck off. The character of the printing 
office was high, the members of the firm being all what 
are styled good fellows,” not likely to be in complicity 
with the lottery pirates, and I was not disposed to injure 
the printers ; but I was determined to learn what parties 
gave them the orders for printing these papers. The 
laws of New York are a little stringent upon this matter, 
and I waited till I found out that a very large number of 


AMONG THE PRINTERS. 


139 


the papers were struck off and ready to be delivered. 1 
had learned that these were usually sent off out of the 
office to somebody’s care, but I did not propose to follow 
up the parties as I had done the letter clerks;’ so one 
morning, when all was right, I took a couple of regular 
policemen along with me, and entered the printing office 
on Spruce Street, and calling one of the proprietors into 
the counting-room, advised him of my business, and the 
law in the premises. He was taken aback ; turned a little 
pale ; and protested that he had no suspicion that he was 
engaged in an unlawful business ; said they exercised no 
secrecy in the printing, so far as attempting to cover up 
any offence was concerned ; but that the lottery company 
liad asked them to observe a degree of privacy in the 
printing, on account of their competition with rival com- 
panies; 

But,” said he, I read a little law once in Ohio ; thought 
I would make a lawyer, but got sick of it ; and I remember 
that one of the first things my old instructor, in whose 
office I read, taught me, was, ^ Ignorance of the law ex- 
cuseth no man,’ and we shall have to bear the brunt of it, 
I fear. Besides, we have a bill of nearly a thousand dol- 
lars against these fellows, and if you break them up, where 
are we to get our pay ? ” 

“ Have they been good pay heretofore ? ” 

0, yes ; we let one bill run on to over fifteen hundred 
dollars. I felt a little skittish about it, but they paid it 
all up, and gave us five hundred dollars in advance on the 
next month’s issue.” I was convinced of the gentleman’s 
honesty. I had learned a good deal about him, and his 
manner was that of an honest man. Well,” said I, I’ll 
tell you what we’ll do. You deliver these papers, but do 
you let me know precisely Avhere they are delivered ; 
tell me the true names of the parties who order them; 
give me such ‘ copy ’ as they have sent in to be printed 
'from, so that I may be in possession of their manuscripts; 
describe the personal appearance of each of them whom 


140 


BUSHELS OF LOTTERY PAPERS. 


you know, in writing, and make a written statement over 
your own signature of all your connection with them, and 
I will wait till you get your pay from them, if you will stir 
them up immediately, and promise to not do any more work 
of this kind for them.’’ The gentleman instantly replied, — 
That’s fair. Of course we won’t do any more such 
printing if it is illegal : but some of these lottery men are 
persons of great respectability in society, and I am aston* 
ished to find they are engaged in such a nefarious busi- 
ness, and I prefer to consult my partner ” (a much older 
man), before I concede to your proposition. Let me 
speak to him a minute, for there he is, and I will give you 
my answer. I prefer that he shall take the responsibility.” 

The gentleman walked out to where his partner was en- 
gaged in looking over some work, held a moment or two’s 
conversation with him, when they both came irtto the 
counting-room, and the older gentleman heard from me my 
story and my propositions, and answered at once. Of 
course we will accede to your propositions, and be much 
obliged to you for giving such excellent terms.” 

The propositions were specifically complied with. The 
printing-house got its pay for its work by refusing to de- 
liver it till paid for. As the lottery agents were in need 
of the papers, and would lose a month’s revenue for want 
of them, they were obliged to yield, and pay up all arrear- 
ages, threatening to take their printing elsewhere there- 
after, which had been considerable ; but the printers kept 
silent, and did not even let them know that they had dis- 
covered they were pursuing an unlawful business. The 
papers were duly delivered to the lottery men, and I kept 
watch on their private den, concluding that I would not 
disturb them till they had gone to the expense of wrap- 
ping the papers, and paying the postage, which must have 
been something enormous. Whole bushels at a time of 
the papers went to the post office, and the rascals were 
probabl}^ dreaming of the revenue which was to follow 
that month’s laudable labor. I was willing that they 


A DARK-L^t.VTlJR^' SEARCH. 


141 


should do the government as much service as they pleased 
in the way of sustaining the postal system, and inwardly 
rather feasted on the “ prospect/’ Their private den was 
unoccupied during the night. Indeed, they usually left at 
an early hour in the afternoon, save on great mailing days. 

I hired desk room in a lawyer’s office in the same 
building. No. 5 Tryon Row, close by the courts of jus- 
tice, and within the immediate shadow of the City Hall, — 
not an inappropriate locality for the bogus lottery scoun- 
drels after all ; for the common council of New York holds 
its sessions in the City Hall, and there, too, is the mayor’s 
office, and that office has sometimes been filled by as great 
wretches as these lottery agents. Indeed, I call to mind 
one mayor who made not a little of his large fortune in 
the policy business,” i. e., in a scoundrelly, though, in a 
measure, legalized lottery swindle. Matsell, the old chief 
of police, had his rooms in the same building, and had he 
been in office at the time, would have rejoiced to find these 
birds ” making their nest so conveniently near him. Hav- 
ing a desk in the lawyer’s office, 1 was of course entitled 
to spend my nights there, or as much of them as I pleased ; 
and being next door to the Real Estate Office ” (as a sign 
on the door facetiously intimated), or, in other words, the 
private office of “ 0. W. Huntington & Co.,” I found the 
patent lock ” on their door not ;at all in my way for mak- 
ing observations. With a dark lantern I could select such 
of their correspondence as 1 pleased, take it to my room, 
and there, by a broad light, read it. I got possession in 
this way of many astounding facts, and also procured 
“ specimens of the handwriting ” of several of this honest 
firm — notes written to the clerks, giving orders, etc. Some 
of these I preserved for future use, but returned most of the 
customers’ correspondence. There were in their office nu- 
merous large packages of business ” letters ; letters from 
agents and customers — (when we took possession we found 
somewhere about twenty thousand letters, which were 
only a part of what the company had received during their 


142 


PRIVATE CONSULTING OFFICE. 


comparatively short existence. They had destroyed great 
numbers, merely to rid themselves of the incumbrance.) 
I got a pretty thorough understanding of the business, 
and collected facts and names of customers for future wit- 
nesses, etc., to put it quite out of the question for these 
fellows to ever resume their business under their then 
title, after they should be broken up ; and, all things pre- 
pared, kept watch so as to catch one of the proprietors 
in the office at work. The “ Real Estate ” department, in 
which nothing at all was done, was divided off from the 
lottery den by a board partition, over the door of which 
was a sign Private Consulting Office.’’ Leaving my assist- 
ants at the door (and having sent an officer to an office 
in 115 Nassau Street, to arrest another of the “proprie- 
tors ” there), I went in to see the gentleman on real estate 
business ; and was informed by the clerk that his princi- 
pal was in the consulting room, and would be out soon. 
The clerk who had come out from the “ consulting room ” 
as I went into the office, had closed the door (which was 
evidently open before) ; and I remarked, that asd was in a 
hurry, I’d step in and see the principal'; and suiting the 
action to the word, stepped to the door, when the clerk, — 
a tall lad, of twenty years of age, perhaps, — brusquely 
stepped up before the door, and said, — 

“ You cannot enter here • — that’s my orders.” 

I pushed him aside without saying a word, whistled, and 
went in, and caught the principal with pen in hand at work 
at a table, with a pile of correspondency, before him, while 
at the same time my two men at the door rushed in, and 
I called to them to secure the clerk, and bring him into the 
private room, which they did. I then stepped out of the 
private room and locked the outside door, and returning, 
informed the principal what I knew about him, and so ter- 
rified him as to extort from him a full confession of his^ 
connection with the business. He confessed that they 
were thoroughly caught, and must be broken up ; which 
conviction was soon deepened, when one of my men an- 


IN THEIR DEN. 


143 


swering a knock at the outside door, let in an officer, accom- 
panied by another of the principals. I took possession 
of the contents of the office, made the parties deliver up 
the mails for that day and the day before, (the money re- 
ceived from which they still had on hand,) in order to 
refund the money to the swindled parties; made them 
give me money enough to pay for the requisite stationery 
and postage, all of which I got from them on the spot ; and 
then took due proceedings against them legally, leaving 
the office in charge of one of my men, till I could get 
around to it and examine the correspondence, which was 
in time to be destroyed. 1 made these fellows advance 
mo money, too, to pay for the rent of the office, on which 
a montlf s rent was then due the lessor, and for another 
month’s rent. These fellows were men in high sol^hd jmsi- 
tion, and they tried hard to bribe me into- silence, and 
made large and tempting offers, and promised also to quit 
the business forever ; but I reminded them that their very 
offer was an offence against the law, and suggested that 
they must not even repeat their bribes. There was a third 
member of this honest firm, but the officer sent to arrest 
him reported that he was out of town, to return next day; 
and as we wanted him too, we took good care that liis 
friends should have no opportunity to communicate to him, 
or anybody else that day. I never saw more sore-headed ” 
chaps than they. ' The fear of exposition through the pub- 
lic press, was a terrible one for them; and as it was com- 
pounding no felony, and was no breach of law to agree to 
not give the facts to the press, and to let these chaps bo 
brought before the proper officers and plead guilty, under 
assumed names, when we should get to that point, I had 
no hesitancy in accepting for myself and my men a pretty 
large sum of money from them. It was true that the 
money gave me some uneasiness, as I reflected that it had 
probably been cheated out of poor victims, although the 
rascals asserted that they had not made much in that way. 
But their correspondence showed that they had. The 


144 THE SCION OF A DISTINGUISHED HOUSE. 


third man was arrested next day, and kept apart from the 
other two. He was taken before the mayor under his as- 
sumed name, and there made a pitiful confession, disclosing 
more than liis confreres had done. He was the scion of 
a distinguished house,’’ was younger than the rest, and 
had been inveigled into the matter by the ambition to be 
independent of his father, and make money for himself; 
and having been bred to no legitimate business, easily fell 
into this in connection with his cousin, one of the other 
principals. The third party is now dead. He reformed,” 
and went into a legitimate business. Some of the steps 
we had taken with these fellows, were rather bold ones, 
hardly within purview of the law ; and the mayor, satisfied 
with the thorough work which had been done, — we hav- 
ing captured all their correspondence, their elaborately- 
kept journals, containing corrected lists of all their agents, 
together, with quite a large library of city and business di- 
rectories, and a countless quantity of business cards, which 
had afforded them names to which to direct their papers, 
and schedules of '' drawings to be held,” etc., etc., the 
mayor conceived that we had so effectually crippled them, 
that they could not, seeking a new office, go on with 
their business ; and as all he wished to do was to break 
them up, he concluded to let them go, on their promise 
to not reenter upon the business ; and turned to me, and 
asked if I did not agree with him. I said, Yes ; but I 
think there is one thing more which these men owe to the 
public, through their victims. They have apparently a 
plenty of money, and we have their register of correspon- 
dence. My proposition is, that we draw up a circular to 
be sent to all their victims, stating that the firm is broken 
up, and warning the customers of the fraudulent character 
of this and all other such concerns, get a few thousand of 
the circulars printed, and mail them to each man 'bn their 
books, and make them bear the expense of printing, en- 
veloping, clerk hire and postage, and pay the clerks liber- 
25 17 * 





fH*0t 


■‘''iMIlwIllhhUW^^^ 






yw/. 




10 


SURPRISING THE BOGUS LOTTERY DEALERS. 





UNDOING.— A CIRCULAR. 


147 


ally for their work. They ought to do this, to undo the 
wrong they have done, as far as they can.’’ 

Yes, yes, gentlemen, I like that proposition. What do 
you say to it ? ” said the mayor. 

They were deathly silent for a moment ; looked askance 
at each other (for at this session we had all the three pres- 
ent) ; but one broke the silence — 

It will be a pretty big bill. I told you the truth when 
I said we are poor ; as for myself, I am worth next to 
nothing.” 

The mayor looked at me inquiringly, and probably saw 
something in my face which was as expressive as if 1 had 
said, “ Bosh ! tliey are perfectly able ; ” so he said, Gen- 
tlemen, I shall insist on the condition ; ” and turning to me, 
he added, “ make out a liberal estimate, and hold these men 
under arrest till you get the sum advanced. Mind ! I say 
advanced ! don’t trust them for a minute.” 

The firm, seeing that it was of no use to quibble, agreed 
to meet the emergency that day ; and I, having in the 
course of two hours found out how much it would cost to 
print twenty thousand circulars, and for clerk hire for two 
months, for two clerks, with postage added, at two cents a 
circular, agreed to accept eight hundred dollars, — a pretty 
liberal sum, for I was not disposed to oppress myself for 
want of means, on account of any foolish pity for these 
chaps. The amount was forthcoming, and the scamps were 
released. 

I at once drew up a circular in these words. By the 
way, I had secured their engraving of the building. No. 
23 William Street, with which the circular was headed : — 


“ Mayor’s Office, New York. 

Dear Sir : This is to inform you that the great ‘ Bank- 
ing House of G. W. Huntington & Co.,’ — the above pic- 
ture of which you have doubtless seen before, — has ^ sus- 
pended operations,’ having fallen into the hands of the 
police. This house was a bogus lottery concern, which 


148 


A CIRCULAR. 


conducted its stealthy business in an obscure den, while 
pretending to occupy the building above represented, by 
the picture of which they more readily enticed their 
country customers to ^ invest ’ in their shrewdly-devised 
schemes. If in dealing with them you ever secured a 
pri«e, it was only given to entice you into larger ventures. 
Beware of all such companies in the future. The mayor 
directs me to advise you that there are no legitimate lot- 
tery companies or agencies in the city of New York. None 
are allowed by law to do business here. All of them are 
bogus and fraudulent. His honor the mayor further sug- 
gests that you may, perhaps, do your unwary neighbors a 
service, by showing them, if you please, this circular, — 
or by at least informing them that all such companies and 
agencies in New York are fraudulent in their character. 
The mayor receives hundreds of complaints during the 
course of a year from the victims of these companies, or 
^ agencies,’ and a list of all those to whom this circular is 
sent, is kept, and no notice of the complaint of any one of 
these will hereafter be taken. The mayor trusts that you, 
sir, will not only escape being imposed upon by these bogus 
lottery sharpers hereafter, but will so warn and instruct 
all your friends that they, too, will escape being victim- 
ized. Respectfully yours, 

u 

Mayor’s Special Clerk.” 

About eighteen thousand of these circulars were duly 
mailed to the addresses found in the captured books, and 
the books themselves were duly deposited for further 
reference. It would seem that this warning, scattered as 
it was into more than half the towns in the Union, ought 
to have lessened the number of victims to these swindling 
concerns ; but I have been informed that some of them are 
in full blast to-day, and that all along, since the arrest of 
G. W. Huntington & Co.,” other concerns carried on 
heavy operations. Everybody, almost, it would seem, 


OF HUMAN CREDULITY. 


149 


must have personal experience ; will not^ for some reason, 
profit by the experience and advice of others who have 
suffered — been bitten by sharpers. But I trust that this 
article will be heeded by all who read it. Perhaps it is a 
sufficiently clear exposition of the way these rascals pro- 
ceeded, to make it evident that there is no trusting the 
pretences of any of them. Sure it is that there are at 
least five hundred thousand people in the land, who, if 
they were to read this exposition, c'buld reflect that it 
must be, as it is, literally true, entirely unembellished by 
imagination to the extent of even a word, and that, too, 
from their own experiences ; and they can now understand 
the modus operctndi by which they were swindled. 

All gift enterprises,’^ so common in New York, and 
other places, to-day, partake in their nature of these bo- • 
gus lottery operations, and no man is safe who trusts a 
single one of them. He Avill be swindled in the end, in 
some way. 

I could not well allow myself to cut this article short at 
this point, although my tale is, properly speaking, finished, 
and my contract under this head, with my publishers, ful- 
filled. There is something so marvellous in tlie human 
heart in the way of its disposition to adventure in order 
to make money easily ; such a wonderful credulity in the 
minds of large numbers of people, and a willingness to 
fasten in trust upon the merest shadow of success, that 
perhaps these fraudulent concerns will never lack victims. 
But in studying the correspondence which fell into my 
hands, — over twenty thousand letters, — and with which I 
beguiled many hours during the six months in which I 
kept them, before burning them, I became apprised of 
the fact that the great majority of the “ customers ” of 
these concerns are illiterate ; most of their letters being 
misspelled ; that great numbers of them were young 
men, boys, and poor women ; nearly all evidently mechan- 
ics, and from some of the States, such as Pennsylvania, 
many farmers. (Pennsylvania, by the way, furnishes more 


150 


THE CORRESPONDENCE, 


victims to petty frauds, I learned, than several other States 
which I might name, taken together.) She has a large 
number of citizens who are barely able to read and write 
poorly, and who probably do not read the public journals 
extensively, and are, therefore, not likely to be well in- 
formed of the current iniquities of the time. I seriously 
meditated, after having studied the G. W. Huntington &, 
Co.’^ correspondence, the writing of a book on the mat- 
ter of Swindling, in general ; and this correspondence 
would have afforded me many pathetic things for comment. 
While looking over that correspondence, the tears often 
came irresistibly to my eyes. I recollect the letter of a 
boy writing from Easton, Penn., I think it was. Pie had, 
it appeared from his letter, sent many dollars to the com- 
pany for tickets, a dollar at a time, and winning nothing 
from his ventures, was getting discouraged. He wrote an 
imploring letter at last, accompanied by a dollar, in which 
he begged the company to choose him a winning number. 
He told them it was his last dollar 5 (he was but sixteen 
years old, he said); that he should not be able to send 
again, if he failed this time, for he had to give every cent 
he could earn ; (I forget what he said he worked at, but he 
named the business and the pitiable wages he got) ; that 
his father was a dreadful drunkard ; one of his little sis- 
ters was sick all the while ; another had broken her 


leg two months before, and the doctors thought she might 
have to lose it, and so on, a pitiable tale — a tale to stir the 
hardest heart, and written in that style which stamped it 
as undoubtedly true. At the bottom of this letter was a 
note for the clerk, in the handwriting of one of the firm. 

Write to (somebody, I forget his name, of course), ^^at 
Easton, and learn if this story is true ; and if it is, let the 
boy draw five dollars in Scheme No.*' (so and so.) There 
was a note dated some days after, below this in the clerk’s 
hand. Letter received from Easton ; story true ; ticket 
issued.” Probably that boy re-invested the whole five 
dollars. Drawing the money, his hope would naturally be 


WHO ARE THE VICTIMS f 


151 


excited; and now that he could buy a ticket in a larger 
“ drawing/’ he probably sent the five dollars back, and lost 
them of course. 

Widows, with large families, and who wrote most mourn- 
ful stories, sending on every cent they could save (while 
half-starving their families in order to do so, probably), 
were among the number of correspondents. Clergymen 
of poor parishes sent for tickets, with long letters, in which 
the}^ commented piously upon the matter of hazard and lot- 
teries, in a manner to excuse themselves for sending, and 
hoping that they should draw something to help them out 
of their poverty and misery, and expressing their belief that 
God would pardon them if they were doing wrong,” 
were also of the number. Many letters were of a comical 
nature, the writers half-laughing at themselves for doing so 
foolish a thing as buying tickets in a lottery ; but yet una- 
ble to resist the temptation. By some of the letters it was 
evident to me that the writers told abominable lies about 
their sufferings and trials, in order to excite the sympathy 
of the agents,” and induce them to use their best efforts 
to secure for them winning tickets. Some of the corre- 
spondents offered to give the agents ” half their prize 
money, in order to bribe them to select a successful ticket. 
Some of them sent counterfeit money. I found such notes 
as this at bottqm of several letters, “ One dollar counterfeit, 
two dollars good. Send tickets in Scheme No. 8.” Coun- 
terfeit ; send back.” These were evidently directions to 
clerks. If the writing in these letters which contained 
only counterfeit money had been good, I might have sus- 
pected the writers of perpetrating an appropriate joke ; 
but the letters were evidently from ignorant people, some 
of whom, perhaps, knew that the bills they sent were 
counterfeit, and hoped that the great banking company, 
in their vast press of business, would fail to detect the bills. 
Many of the letters were written in excellent mercantile 
hand; but I noticed some badge of ignorance about all 
these, as well as about the poorly-written and misspelled 


152 


KNOWinOGE IS POWER. 


ones. Probably ninety-nine in a hundred of the victims 
were made such through their ignorance of the world and 
the wicked men in it. 

“ Knowledge is power ; not only a power to execute, 
but a power for salvation ; and when her light shall be 
sufficiently diffused, all such crafts as these bogus lottery 
swindlers will “ have had their day,” and not before. I 
doubt somewhat that if all the newspapers of the land 
should, on some given week, publish each a full expose of 
these swindles, and repeat the same every week, for a month, 
the majority of the victims would be saved. Many would ; 
but some with their eyes opened, as far as facts could 
open them, would still be duped. The investigation of 
this bogus lottery business did more to weaken my respect 
for the good sense of my fellow-men in general, than had 
all the experiences of my life theretofore. But I find I 
am tempted on beyond the limits I had set for myself in 
this article. The subject is an interesting one to me, and 
I may return to it at another time, and to some of its 
phases not here commented upon. 


THE BORROWED DIAMOND RING. 


W/E ©ETECTIVE OFFICER’S CHIEF “ INCUBUS ” — AT WINTER GARDEN THEA- 
TRE — “harry DUBOIS ” — AN EXPERT ROGUE EXAMINES HIS I*RO- 
SPECTIVE VICTIMS — SOME SOUTHERNERS — HARRY “ INTRODUCES ” HIM- 
SELF IN HIS OWN PECULIAR AND ADROIT WAY — HARRY AND HIS FRIEND 
ARE INVMTEU TO THE SOUTHERNERS’ PRIVATE BOX — HARRY “BOR- 
ROWS ” MR. CLEMENS’ DIAMOND RING, AND ADROITLY' ESCAPES — MY' 
DILE3IMA — Y'ISIT TO IIARRY’s OLD BOARDING MISTRESS — HIS WHERE- 
ABOUTS DISCOVERED — ACTIVE WORK A ifAPID DRIVE TO PINE STREET 

— A FORTUNATE LIGHT IN THE OFFICE OF THE LATE HON. SIME;0N DRAPER 

— A SUDDEN Y'ISIT FOR A “ SICK MAN ” TO HARRY’S ROOM — IIOYV EN- 
TRANCE WAS EFFECTED — THE KING SECURED — HUNT FOR MR. CLEMENS 

— A SLIGHTLY MYSTERIOUS LETTER — A HAPPY' INTERY'IEYV. 

.)usT before tlie late war broke out, and tlie Winter 
Garden Theatre being in its prime, my friend, Henry C. P., 
of New Haven, Conn., being in town, urged me to accom- 
pany him there one ^night to see the play. The house 
Yvas quite crowded with a more than usually fashionable 
set of play-goers, many being from different parts of the 
land, visitors for a time in New York. No matter Yvhere 
I go, to theatre, court, or church, along Broadway crowded 
with its vast moving tides of humanity, or through the 
streets of some half-deserted hamlet, my mind is ever on 
my business ; rather, ever pondering on the craft and 
crime of society, symbols of which, in more or less emphat^ 
ic shape, I am ever liable to see. It is one of tlie great- 
est vexations Yvhich the detective suflers, that the nature 
of his business is such that he can never fully liberate his 
thoughts from dwelling upon the frailties, the follies, and 
particularly the crimes, petty and felonious, of which so 
many of his fellow-men are constantly being guilty. Like 


154 


an elegant, scheming fellow. 


an incubus of dread and darkness, these thoughts are ever 
weighing on his mind. He has no peace ; and the only 
approximate peace he can win, is to let his thoughts drift 
on in the usual current, without attempting to direct 
them by his will. Consequently, that night, though for a 
while I enjoyed the play, studying its representations of 
human nature with some delight, and being not a little 
pleased with the beauty of sundry of the female dramatis 
personce, who were rather above the average in personal 
graces, my eye was wandering over the parquet, family 
circle, etc., considerably. Hearing a slight noise in a part 
of the gallery, I observed that three young men, probably 
having a prior engagement to fill somewhere, we^e 
leaving the theatre, — a thing of no moment in itself, and 
which I should have' forgotten on the instant, only that 
the vacancy they left enabled me to cast my eye a little 
farther on, when I discovered a character of much inter- 
est to me — a man elegantly apparelled, and having every 
outward semblance of a gentleman. At the moment my 
eye first rested on him there, he was peering into one of 
the boxes, and I saw him soon in the act of whispering 
some mystery, apparently, into the ear of the comrade who 
sat by his side. The latter person I did not know ; but 
knowing the company he was in, I divined that some mis- 
chief was up, for the former person was no other than a 
man whom, in my detective career, I had several times 
encountered — an elegant, scheming fellow, who sometimes 
operated on Wall Street, kept an office at 34 Pine Street, 
as a real estate broker and money lender, etc., though he 
was seldom there, and was as skilful a juggler and pick- 
pocket as any of whom New York could at that time 
boast. I could not, from my then position, well see into 
the boxes, so I changed my seat — through the courtesy of 
an old friend, who gave me his in exchange for mine — to 
a point where I could watch the boxes and the two elegant 
gentlemen, of whom 1 have spoken, without the latter’s 
knowing the fact. As I have intimated, the season was 


HARRY DUBOIS. 


155 


gay. In one of the boxes sat two gentlemen and two 
ladies, the former evidently Southerners I judged, and so 
I thought the ladies to be also. They were quite richly 
dressed, and “ sported ” a large amount of richest jewelry. 
I was not at a loss, as soon as I had enjoyed a good view 
of them, as to the nature of the special concern which they 
had evidently awakened in the minds of the two worthies 
whom I was watching. I felt very sure that some plan 
was being devised by the latter two to make the acquaint- 
ance of the gentlemen, and, perhaps, the ladies in the box, 
with an eye to relieving them of some of their jewelry 
or money. 

Harry Dubois ’’ was one of the aliases of the elegant 
rogue ; his friend’s name I knew not, and have never 
learned it. I was not surprised then, when, after a little 
polite leave-taking at the, end of an act, and the gentlemen 
left their ladies in the box, to see Harry and friend leave 
their seats, and saunter out. Divining that the gentlemen 
had gone into the refreshment-room, 1 followed, disguising 
myself as I went out, by the assumption of a pair of spec- 
tacle bows, to which was attached a false nose quite unlike 
my own, in order that Harry might by no means discover 
me. I ’arrived in the refreshment-room, and had selected 
out my friends of the box before Harry and his friend, or 
pal,” came in. I had prepared my mind to expect some 
peculiarly stealthy, circumlocutory proceeding upon the 
part of Harry. Perhaps he would come only to watch and 
wait ” still longer ; perhaps he would find there somebody, 
also, who knew the gentlemen of the box, and get a formal 
introduction. Indeed, I had conceived a half dozen modes 
of operation on his part, when, to my astonishment, Harry, 
having first cast a searching glance over the room, and 
giving his pal ” a knowing touch on the elbow, rushed, 
with all smiles upon his face, up to the apparently elder 
of the gentlemen of the box, who were at this moment 
lifting glasses of wine to their lips, and exclaimed, “ Par- 
don me, Mr. Le Franc ; but how do you do ? I am 


156 


MEETING ACQUAINTANCES, 


exceedingly glad to see you ! How long have you been 
on from New Orleans, my dear sir?^^ 

The gentleman addressed looked with astonishment upon 
the elegantly attired Harry, whose face was the symbol of 
the frankest honesty and most certain refinement, and evi- 
dently “ taken by Harry’s manner, replied, My dear sir, 
there’s a mistake here, for my name is not Le Franc ; and 
truly, sir, I can never have known you, for I surely do not 
now, and if I had I should never have forgotten you.” 

“ Upon my honor,” said Harry, I thought you were a 
Mr. Le Franc, of New Orleans. You look just like him^ 
with whom, and others, I went on an excursion up to Don' 
aldsonville, three years ago, at the invitation and expense 
of Bob McDonald.” 

Bob McDonald ? Why, he’s my cousin, sir. If you 
know him, give me your hand. My name, sir, is William 
Hale, of Savannah, and this is my cousin, Mr. Clemens, of 

Mobile ” (turning to his friend), Mr. Ah ! excuse 

me, but you have not given me your name, sir, I forgot.” 

Fully pleased, Harry pulled out a card case from his 
vest pocket, and presented to Mr. Hale a neat card, in- 
scribed : — 

HENRY CLARKSON DUBOIS, 

Attorney at Law. 

Specialty — Dealing in Real Estate, Effecting Loans, and 
Seeming Advances on Cotton. 

Office, 34 Pine Street, N. Y. City. 

Pardon me that I give you my business card ; I find 
I have no other about me.” 

“ Ah, Mr. Dubois ! I am sure I am very glad to know 
you as Bob McDonald’s friend. Tell me when you last 
saw him. How was he ? Jolly fellow — isn’t he ? Take 
some wine with us ? and your friend, too ; he’ll join us ? ” 


RAPID PROGRESS. 


157 


Harry was nothing loth to accept the wine. He was 
making splendid progress, he doubtless thought ; and join- 
ing in the wine, he said, ‘‘ You asked when I last saw 
Bob. Well, when he was here in Ne\y York, three months 
ago, on his way to Hamilton, Canada, he was my guest for 
a week, at the Metropolitan, where I board.^' 

“ Just so,’^ said Mr. Hale. Bob wrote us at that time 
from Canada. I am sorry I did not go on there when he 
was there. He was well as usual then, I suppose, and just 
as full of the ^ Old McDonald ’ (for his father was a great 
old sport) as ever, eh ? 

I saw that Harry was making smooth inroad into the 
affections of these gentlemen, and \yondereck what would 
be the result. Mr. Hale treated to cigars. Harry re- 
fused, saying, that with permission he would smoke a 
cigarette, — pulling a box from his pocket, — commented 
on the habit which he had learned in Cuba, when he was at- 
tached, as he said, to the United States legation there, and 
quite took the Savannah gentleman aback with his delicate 
manipulation of the dainty cigarette. Harry’s mastery of 
good manners seemed to completely win the Southern 
gentlemen, and Harry’s friend too, though less elegant 
than he, was nc “ slouch ” of a fellow in appearance. 

The next act of the play had begun before the gentle- 
men had finished their cigars and chat, and Mr. Hale said 
to his friend Clemens, Wouldn’t Mary be delighted to 
meet so intimate a friend of her cousin Bob ? Mr. Dubois, 
I spoke of McDonald as my cousin ; so he is by marriage ; 
but he is cousin by blood to my wife, and she likes him 
above all her kin. Wouldn’t you and your friend do us 
the honor to accompany us to our box, where our wives 
now are ? ” 

With the greatest pleasure,” said Harry, suiting the 
action to the word, and away they started for the box. I 
lost no time in getting back to my seat, on the way de- 
positing my spectacles and false nose in a side pocket. 

From what I afterwards learned from Mr. Hale, he 


158 


A $ 1,500 nma 


delightedly presented Harry to his wife, as an intimate 
friend of her cousin Bob ; and it was evident to me that 
Harry was making as sure victory of the esteem of Mrs, 
Hale, and the other lady, Mrs. Clemens, as he had of their 
husbands. He laughed and chatted with the ladies to their 
evident delight. They could not have heard much of the 
second act, so busily were they engaged with him — gen- 
tlemen and ladies both. I noticed that Harry was not 
lacking, on that occasion, in a good degree of effrontery, 
mingled with his polite manners, which fact was assurance 
to me that he had formed some plan of operations already^ 
but what it would be I could not conjecture. I saw more 
or less display of jewelry, Harry taking a splendid solitaire 
diamond from his finger, and evidently telling some story 
about it. But eventually, as the act was drawing to a 
close, I discovered that Mr. Clemens had taken from his 
finger a very costly ring, which, as the sequel proved, he 
had bought at Anthony’s the day before, for fifteen hun- 
dred dollars, to take as a present to his brother, then 
studying medicine in Harvard College, whither Mr. Clem- 
ens and his lady were about going. AH was very jubi- 
lant in the box as the act drew to a close, and there was 
a clatter in the box — the gentlemen laughing, and the 
ladies shaking their fans at them, as if half menacingly 
forbidding them to go out, evidently begging them to 
stay, and so forth. But Harry, according to the story I 
learned afterwards, kindly assured the ladies that he 
would return with his new charge ” all duly and sound- 
ly,” which the ladies interpreted to mean soberly, and 
they let them go. 

Harry left the box, the last of the gentlemen, and as he 
did so, foolishly waved his hand in parting, at the ladies ; 
and the mystery was at once unravelled to me, for on his 
finger was what I took to be, knew to be, that new, flash- 
ing ring of Mr. Clemens. • 

I hastened to the refreshment-room. I saw at once the 
flush of victory on Harry’s face, and watched him intently. 


THE RING BORROWED. 


16& 


He was very brilliant in conversation, and very gener- 
ous; insisted on treating '' all the while himself. Wouldn’t 
allow Mr. Hale or his friend to call for anything, etc. 

The time for the next act coming on, the gentlemen, not 
a little “ warmed up ’’ with the numerous glasses of wine 
they had taken, returned to their box, and I to my place, 
replacing my spectacles in my side pocket. 

I had been a little delayed in getting back to my place 
by a crowd gathered around a lady who had fainted, and 
when I resumed my seat, and looked into the box, what 
was my astonishment at not finding Harry there. I saw 
that Mrs. Clemens was very serious about something, 
while the rest seemed very much excited ; meanwhile, 
Harry’s friend seemed engaged in some sort of wonder- 
looking protestations, for he looked astonished, and was 
putting one hand very emphatically upon the palm of the 
other. The whole thing flashed upon me. I saw that 
there was no time to lose ; and I left my seat, and pro- 
ceeded directly to the refreshment-room, in time to find 
Mr. Hale and his friend there, eagerly inquiring of the 
bar-keeper if “ Mr. Dubois ” had returned there ; if he had 
seen him since they went up last time to the box, and 
sundry other hurried queries. The bar-keeper had not 
seen him ; no clew could they get to him ; and Mr. Hale 
said, Clemens, you are ‘ done for,’ sure. That’s one of 
those arch scailips we read of. He’s borrowed that ring, 
and we’ll never see it again.” 

Let’s find a policeman, and put him on the track,” said 
Clemens. 

“Foolishness,” said Mr. Hale; “no policeman can track 
that fellow. He’s too keen ; besides, who knows but he’ll 
take the train for Philadelphia or somewhere. I don’t be- 
lieve he lives here. Here’s his card, to be sure, but who 
knows that it’s not a fraud ? Let’s hunt the directory,” 
and the bar-keeper brought forward the desired directory. 
No “ Harry Clarkson Dubois ” was to be found in it. The 
gentlemen looked confounded and dejected, and Hale said, 


160 


GETTING THE ADDRESS. 


Well, Clemens, let’s go back to the ladies. They’ve more 
wit than we. You know what your wife said. If we’d 
taken her advice perhaps we should have got out from here 
in time to catch the villain,” and so they sauntered back. 

I did not feel like making myself known to them. They 
might take me, perhaps, as Harry’s cooperator, and so I 
silently watched them leave. Turning the matter over in 
my mind a moment, I resolved upon the best course to 
pursue. Harry must be come upon that night if I were 
to succeed with him, I saw. I had knowm his lodging- 
room tliree mouths before, but had heard he had changed 
quarters ; where to hunt him was the point. I bethought 
me of a boarding-house keeper in West 13th Street, with 
whom Harry once, boarded, and who, not knowing his real 
character, had great respect for him, and whom, too, Harry 
evidently really respected, for I had been told that he al- 
ways spoke of her in terms of admiration. I fancied she 
would be as apt as any one to know where were his quar- 
ters, and I took a carriage, and drove immediately to her 
house. Fortunately she was at home ; and on inquiring 
of her if she could tell me where I coqld find Mr. Dubois 
the next morning, for I did not let her know my haste, 
she said that she guessed Fd be most apt to find him in 
iiis office in Pine Street, No. 34 ; that he had applied to 
her for board two days before, with which she could not 
accommodate him for a week or so to come ; so he said he 
would sleep on a lounge in his office, and take his meals 
out till she could give him quarters, and that the day be- 
fore he sent up for blankets, with which she had supplied 
him. 

My plan was complete. Hurrying away from her house, 
I ordered the driver to push straight for my rooms, where, 
arming myself completely, I drove on as far as the post 
office, "when, ordering the driver to await my return, i 
alighted, and proceeded to 34 Pine Street. As it chanced, 
next door was the office of my friend, the late Simeon 
Draper, and I was not a little pleased to find a light there, 


A MIDNIGHT ARREST, 


161 


and one of his clerks and another man looking over some 
papers, as I saw through the window. Tapping on the 
door, it was readily unlocked, and I said to the clerk, who 
recognized me, No questions asked ; but let me inquire 
if you are going to be here for fifteen minutes longer ? 

‘‘ Yes, for an hour, perhaps.’^ 

Well, I may call again.” 

Do so — are you after a ^ bird ' ? ” asked the clerk, with 
a knowing wink in his eye ; for he very quickly divined 
that I was on some detective mission ; for Mr. Draper had 
been a. frequent patron of mine, and often sent this clerk 
to me on business. 

I closed the door, and ran up two flights of stairs to 

Dubois’s ” room, and immediately rapped upon the 
door. 

No noise within — all silence ! Had the bird flown ? 
I thought not. I believed he was there. Again I rapped. 

Who’s there ? ” asked a half-sleepy voice. 

1 replied, 0 ! you’re asleep, Mr. Dubois — are you ? 
Well, no matter. It’s a case of exigency. I knew you 
were here ; saw you as you came in ; and there’s a man 
fainted away in Draper’s oflSce, and I’m alone with him, 
and want you, if you will, to watch him while I run for a 
doctor. Don’t mind to dress yourself more than half — come 
quickly,” and I started away rapidly down stairs, and re- 
turned as rapidly, and rapping on the door again, exclaimed, 

Get ready, and run down as quick as you can, while I go 
for a doctor. The door’s unlocked ; but see here, he may 
revive, and want some stimulus. Here’s the key to the 
back closet. There’s a bottle of brandy there. Here, 
take it.” 

The unsuspicious Harry opened the door slightly to take 
the key, when I pushed in. On his finger gleamed that 
very ring. He was but half dressed, coat off, a muscular 
fellow, and just in trim for fighting. I saw the situation, 
and pulling out a pistol, clapped it to his face, and extend- 
ing my left hand, said, “ It’s no use, Harry ; give me Mr. 


11 


162 


IN SEARCH OF THE VICTIMS. 


Clemens’ ring without any noise, or I’ll call the officers at 
the door below.” 

Harry was never before so confounded ; protested he had 
no ring but his own. 

We’ll, see,” said 1. ^^Mr. Hale will be here in a mo- 

ment. If he comes, it’s all day with you. He can identify 
the ring, and — so — can — I. Give- it to me at once ! ” I 
exclaimed, with a stern voice. 

Harry saw that I knew all about it, and yielded, begging 
me to not expose him. I assured him I had no care to 
do so ; but should exact of him the expenses I had incurred 
for the carriage, which, at that time of night, would-be 
about fifteen dollars 5 which he quickly took from out a 
large sized roll of bills from his inner vest pocket. The 
gas he had lighted when he rose to dress, was turned on 
at full head, and gleamed like a spectre through the room. 

I examined the money to see that it was not counterfeit, 
put it in my pocket, and bade Harry good night,” telling 
him I guessed the man in Draper’s -had recovered by this 
time, and that he needn’t trouble himself to go down. 

I drove to my rooms, paid the driver, and having de- 
posited the ring in my little safe, went to bed, and pon- 
dered on the next step — the finding of Mr. Clemens next 
day. I arose rather early next morning, and went in 
seaich. I expected to find him and his friends at some 
of the prominent hotels ; but they were not there to be 
found, but had left the St. Nicholas some three days be- 
fore, and where gone nobody knew. But the coachman 
would know where he took them. After waiting hours to 
find the coachman, I at last learned that they had all gone 
to a house in Madison Square, to which I proceeded, and 
found it the private residence of one of our prominent 
citizens. The parties, therefore, were evidently of the 
elite, and were to be approached delicately. Perhaps thev 
hadn’t told their friends of their loss, and from pride might 
not want it known. How should I proceed? Well, I 
rung the bell, and inquired of the servant if a Mr. Clemens 


• *> • 


>. 

r-' 


■ \ 


r 


I 


\ 


f 










„.jS-MUUiUUlf- 






y/^ 









L.._ \ 


RECOVERING THE DIAMOND RING. — “It's no use, Harry, give me Mr. Clemens’ ring. 






1 


m SEARCH OF Tim VICTIMS. 


165 


was stopping there ; and learned that he was, but that he 
and his wife had gone out, and would not be back till even- 
ing. “ Was a jMr. Hale there ? ’’ Yes ; but he, too, and his 
wife have gone with Mr. and Mrs. Clemens.’’ I didn’t want 
the ring about me. I had pressing work to do that day 
and that evening ; in fact, I hardly knew whether I should 
have time to call that evening or not. '■So I asked the 
servant if he could provide me envelope and paper, for I 
would leave a note for my friends. I was ushered into 
the library, and given the due materials ; and addressing 
a note to Mr. Hale, which ran much as follows : — 

Sir : I have not the pleasure of your personal acquaint- 
ance, but the fact that I am the true friend of your cousin, 
Mr. Robert McDonald, of New Orleans, will be all the as- 
surance, I presume, that you will want of my being en- 
titled to an audience with you. I have called to see you 
upon interesting and important business, and finding that 
you are not to return till evening, I beg to ask you to ex- 
pect me at half past eight o’clock. Do not, if you please, 
by any means fail to be at home. I would also be pleased 
to meet Mr. Clemens ; and I trust you will not consider me 
impertinent (and you will not when you come to learn my 
errand), if I ask also to meet Mrs., Hale and Mrs. Clemens 
at the same time. 

“ I would prefer to meet none of the family residing here, 
but yourselves alone. 

“ Yours, very respectfully, 

a y 

I hurried through my business for the remainder of the 
day, and a little before half past eight was duly at the 
house on Madison Square. 

Being admitted, I called for Mr. Hale. He came to see 
me in the hall ; looked at me mysteriously ; was very civil 
and polite, but coldly so. I said, “ I left a note here to- 
day for you.” 


166 


A TRUE FRIEND, 


“ Yes. sir, I received a curious note, and don^t know 
what to make of it. Please explain your business. We 
are strangers, and you will excuse me that I am always 
cautious with strangers, whoever they may be.” 

He had evidently taken the lesson of the night before 
to heart. 

But,” asked I, “ are Mr. and Mrs. Clemens ready to 
receive me, as I requested in my note ? ” 

Yes, and Mrs. Hale too.” 

Can I see them all immediately, for I’ve but little time 
to spare ? ” 

Yes, sir,” said he, quite rigidly ; follow me, sir.” 

I followed him to a small sido parlor, where sat Mr. 
Clemens and the two ladies. 

This is the gentleman who left the note here to-day, 
and says ho knows Bob McDonald,” said Mr. Hale, as he 
bowed me to a chair, and cast a furtive glance at his 
friends as he spoke McDonald’s name. 

Pardon me, sir,” I broke in. I did not say that I 
knew Mr. McDonald, but that I was^ ‘ true friend ’ of him, 
as you’ll observe on looking at the note, if you have it, 
and as I guess I shall prove.” 

0, then you don’t know my cousin, Mr. McDonald ? ” 
asked Mrs. Hale. I am glad you do not, sir, for I was 
beginning to fear you if you did. We’ve seen one of cous- 
in’s friends here of late to our regret.” 

‘^Well, ladies and gentlemen,” said I, I’ll make my 
story short. You have, indeed, had occasion to regret 
meeting one of Mr. McDonald’s pretended friends. Per- 
haps he does know him too, personally. But I do not ; and 
I am a ‘ true friend ’ to Mr. McDonald, in that I would 
serve his friends as he would desire to have me, if he 
knew your late loss.” 

There were glances from the eyes of each into those of 
the others — a momentary silence and wonder-looking — 
when Mrs. Clemens tremulously exclaimed, Wh}^ sir, do 
you know all about it? Have you found the ring ? ” 


TFAJJNG ALL ABOUT IT. 


167 


“ Foolish woman ! said ]\[r. Clemens. “ How do you sup- 
pose anybody could find what wasn^t lost — only stolen?’^ 
But I have something here for you, sir,’^ said I, as i 
took the ring from my pocket, and held it up in the light. 

The same ! ThaFs it I Where did you get it ? 

“ Did he lose it, and you find it ? How glad I am ! etc., 
burst from their excited lips. 

Be calm, and I’ll tell you all about it,” said I ; and taking 
their seats, for all had risen to their feet, they listened at- 
tentively to my story. I told them my business ; how I 
came to notice them ; all that I did — all except what tran- 
spired in Pine Street, making a short tale of that. 

I had handed the ring, as I commenced my story, to Mr. 
Clemens, who placed it upon a book lying on the table, 
where it lay throughout our discourse, which was carried 
on for nearly an hour. Near the conclusion, Mr. Clemens 
said, “But after all this I do not feel that the ring is yet 
justly mine. You have earned a part of it, at least, and I 
wish you to tell me how much 1 shall pay you for your 
trouble. I should have lost the ring wholly but for you, 
and I am willing to pay you half its value, seven hundred 
and fifty dollars.” 

“0, no,” said I, “ I could not for a moment consent to 
take so much. In fact, I would have no right to.’^ 

“ Well, name the price.” 

“ If you give me fifty dollars I shall be satisfied.” 

“ No such paltry sum, sir,” said the generous Southerner. 
“ You shall take double, yes, four times that, at least.” 

“ Yes,” said Mr. Hale, “ and I’ll gladly pay half of it, or 
the whole of it, or double it, and make it four hundred.” 

But I insisted upon only one hundred ; and paying me 
that, Mr. Clemens restored the ring to his finger, saying, 
“ The next time I allow a stranger, no matter whose friend 
he is, to trifle with my property, I shall knoio it, I reckon. 
It’s been a good lesson, cheaply bought, for me.” , 

Business over, these cheerful people insisted upon en- 
tertaining me till a late hour, and I recited to them some 


168 


A LESSON FOR LIFE. 


quaint instances in the detective^s life ; but they could 
not but think that their adventure in New York had been 
the most remarkable of all. 

I dare say that the lesson they learned that night will 
serve them through life ; and although their loss was so 
stupidly occasioned that I presume they keep it secret 
as to themselves, I’ve no doubt they sometimes tell it, in 
the third person, as a warning to their friends who may be 
going abroad, travelling.” 

It is a trite saying, that ’tis not all gold that glitters.” 
Everybody has heard it, and repeated it, but few only 
profit by it. 


THE MYSTERY AT NO. 89 STREET, 

NEW YORK. 


“kleptomania”' — THE TENDENCY TO SUPERSTITION — AN OLD KNICKER- 
BOCKER FAMILY — A VERY “ PROPER” OLD GENTLEMAN, A MR. GARRET- 
SON — HE CALLS ON ME AT MY OFFICE, AND FINDS A CURIOUS-LOOKING 
ROOM — HIS STORY OF WONDERS — “EVERYTHING ” STOLEN — TALK 
ABOUT DISEMBODIED SPIRITS — THE MYSTERY DEEPENS — PROBABLE 
CONJECTURE BAFFLED — VISIT TO MR. GARKETSON’s HOUSE — MRS. 
GARRETSON, A BEAUTIFUL AND CULTIVATED OLD LADY — WE SEARCH 
THE HOUSE — A.N ATTIC FULL OF OLD SOUVENIRS — WE LINGER AMONG 
THEM — MR. GARRETSON’S DAUGHTER IS CONVINCED THAT DISEMBODIED 
SPIRITS ARE THEIR TORMENTORS — SHE PUTS AN UNANSWERABLE QUES- 
TION — A DANGEROUS DOG AND THE SPIRITS — TEDIOUS AND UNA- 
VAILING WATCHING FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND NIGHTS — THE “SPIRITS” 
AGAIN AT WORK — RE-CALLED — THE MYSTERY GROWS MORE WONDER- 
FUL — THE “spirit” discovered AND THE MYSTERY UNRAVELLED — 
THE FAMILY SENT AWAY — THE ATTIC RE-VISITED WITH MR. G. AND 
ITS TREASURES REVEALED — A RE-DISCOVERY OF THE “SPIRITS” — 
THE FAMILY REVIEW THEIR LONG-LOST TREASURES FOUND — REFLEC- 
TIONS ON THE CAUSES OF THE MYSTERY — A PROBLEM FOR THE 
DOCTORS. 

‘^Kleptomania/^ the delicate term of modern coinage from 
the old Greek, which is used to signify a passion for thiev- 
ing under peculiar circumstances, and is mostly used when 
the thief is a person of some importance and of moneyed 
means, so that the lust for gain is not supposed to be his 
prompter to the “offence against the statute in such cases 
made and provided,’’ indicates a moral “ dereliction ” which 
not only attacks the wakeful subject, but sometimes infu- 
ses itself into the dreams of sleepers. Many women in a 
state of pregnancy afe said to be liable to this disease, so 
to term it, who, in any other state, would be horrified at 
the bare mention of the crime of theft. They exhibit 


m NATURAL TENDENCY TO SUPERSTITION 


great adroitness in tlieir manoeuvres when under the inflm 
ence of the disease, and possess a boldness, too, of which, 
in their strictly “ right minds,’^ they would be utterly in- 
caj)able. Such establishments as Stewart’s great retail dry 
goods store expend large sums of money yearly in the 
employment of detectives to watch the customers, to see 
that they do not slyly purloin such goods as they may 
easily secrete in carpet-bags, in their pockets, under shawls, 
or under their dresses, and so on. Not a small number 
of these would-be thieves are kleptomaniacs, and mostly 
women suffering under diseases peculiar to the sex, or 
women in a state of pregnancy, whose blood is more or 
less driven in unusual quantities into the head, and stirs 
there passions and desires which they never so feel at 
other times. The philosophy of this thing would be a 
pleasant matter of study, and falls legitimately enough into 
the line of a detective’s life to investigate ; but here is 
not the place for its discussion at any great length. 

I may run some risk in the narration of this tale, of 
trespassing upon the feelings of some persons who might 
prefer that I say nothing about it; for the facts were 
known to a large circle of highly-respectable people, most- 
ly relatives of the “ chief person of the drama,” who would, 
perhaps, prefer that the matter should rest in peace, and 
go out in oblivion by and by. But I will, endeavor to be 
delicate and courteous enough, in the avoidance of names, 
and in my general descriptions, to offend no one of those 
relatives who may read this. 

There are a great many people who have a natural ten- 
dency to superstitions of all kinds. They have excel- 
lent common sense, for example, in everything except in 
matters of a religious nature. A family of such people 
may bo divided into religious partisans of the bitterest 
stamp ; the one may be a Baptist, for instance, and believe 
that all the rest, who disagree with him, must be lost. 
Another member may be a modern ‘^Adventist,” deny 
the doctrine of the essential immortality of the soul, and 


OLD KNICKnRBOCIcnRS. 


171 


think his brother, who does believe in it, guilty of a 
proud and sinful assumption and godless vanity in so 
doing. Another may become an English churchman, and 
gravitate from that character into the Roman Catholic 
church, and feel that all the rest, — the Baptist, the Adven1> 
ist, etc., — must “ perish eternally unless they come into 
the fold of the Roman see. And still another may be a 
modern Spiritualist, and believe in the return of de- 
parted souls ” to earth, to commune directly, or through 
mediums,’^ with poor mortals here, etc. It seems to 
depend very much upon how the superstitious element in 
each member of sucli families is first or finally addressed, 
as to what each may become. 

The reader will please conceive of an old, respectable 
family of Knickerbockers, into whose veins was infused a 
little Yankee blood, imported from near Boston, Mass., a 
family whose sires held in the past high rank and official 
position in the state and nation — a family not a little 
proud of its far-off Dutch and English stock — reared in 
wealth and luxury, well bred, of course, at home, and well 
educated, both the males and the females ; with a large 
amount of landed estate in various parts of the country, 
and blessed with a plenty of houses and building lots in 
the cities of New York and Brooklyn ; and, in fact, I have 
been told that their property could be pointed out all 
along the road, from Jersey City to Morristown, New 
Jersey. In fact it was by the possession of city lots, 
and the constant increase of value thereof, that the fam- 
ily acquired the larger portion of their estate. Add to 
this that the relatives of the family are mostly rich, and 
that such of them as are not rich, belong to that highly re- 
spectable, humdrum sort of people, who are here and 
there found in the midst of the stir and bustle of New 
York, who persist in representing old notions, old modes 
of doing business, and whose chief pride exercises and 
delights itself in talking over what their fathers did, who 
their grandfathers were, etc., or in preserving, perhaps, 


172 


A OAJiJi£:TSOJ^ 1^0T£. 


some legend, that when Washington had his residence 
near Bowling Green, their grand-uncle, or some other rel- 
ative, was a welcome visitor there. It is necessary to 
bring to the mind’s eye this class of people in order to 
comprehend the commotion which bestirred them at the 
time when I was called to “ work up a case ” in their 
midst. 

One day, in the last “ decade,” I was waited on by a very 
proper old gentlemen, neatly dressed, with long white locks 
smoothly combed, hanging over his shoulders. The old 
gentleman possessed one of those passionless faces, so dif- 
ficult to read, unless you can get a chance to peer down 
the eyes. He wore his gloves just one size too large ; a 
little too independent to conform to the fashion of tight 
gloves, and a little too aristocratic to go without any, — (al- 
though I think a poor-fitting glove no ornament, to say the 
least), — and walked with the short, dainty, quick step of the 
men of note of the last century; he was tall, that is, about 
five feet and ten inches in height, rather slim, though he 
evidently had been a man of quite robust form. 

But some name I must have — and what better can I 
substitute for the real one than Garretson ? I might have 
chosen Paulding, or Van Wyck; but I may wish to use 
them yet in this. Well, such a looking man was Mr. Gar- 
retson, as he came one day into my office, bearing me a 
note of introduction from an old skipper who had his office 
in Pearl Street then, near Wall Street. The note, it ap- 
peared, was written at Mr. Garretson’s, on peculiar fam- 
ily note paper, and bore the Garretson coat of arms, and 
would, I presume, have been sealed with the Garretson 
stamp,” and a pile of sealing-wax as large as one of the 
lead drops on bulls,” which the Pope attaches to deeds 
of excommunication, or of convocation of councils, if 
it had not been a note of introduction, and therefore 
not proper to be sealed ; for the Garretsons were never 
known to do anything which was not proper, not suitable 
to their rank, and so forth, to do. The old gentleman 
18 ^ 


A DOUBTING OLD MAN. 


173 


stared a little as he entered my office, evidently expecting 
to find its appointments a little more to his taste, instead 
of finding “ everything ” in the office, and nothing in or- 
der ; and asking if such were my name, and being an- 
swered in the affirmative, he daintily handed me the 
note. 

Be seated, sir,^^ said I, as I took it ; and pointed him to 
a seat near the window, which looked out on the public 
street, and the only empty seat in my office save mine, 
the rest being filled with books, papers, coats, hats, shack- 
ling irons, some old disguises, masks, etc., which I had 
that day pulled out of a trunk to give them an airing, and 
had scattered about. As I read the note, I looked at the 
old gentleman, and found him looking out of the window, 
as if he were uneasy, and was questioning in his mind 
what manner of man was he whom he had come to visit 
and consult, — for so intimated the letter of my old friend, 
the skipper. 

I finished the perusal of the note in a minute or so, and 
stepping up to the old man, ofiered him my hand, with the 
usual salutations, and drawing my chair near him, sat down. 

“ Well, Mr. Garre tson, our friend has intimated your 
business with me. I am at your service.’^ 

There was quite a long pause, when the old man brought 
his cane down on the floor between his legs, rested his 
hands upon the head of it, bent over it a little, and be- 
gan : — 

Really, Mr. , I was thinking why, on the whole, I 

had come here ; for the more I think, the less do I believe 
that you can give us any assistance. We’ve tried every- 
thing ourselves.” 

“ Yes, sir, perhaps I cannot assist you ; but if you will 
tell me your story, I shall probably be able to tell you 
whether I can or not immediately.” 

That’s the trouble, sir ; the question of probabilities 
in the matter,” said he ; for my story is a peculiar one, 
and involves the disclosure of matters which I should not 


174 


WORK OF DISEMBODIED SPIRITS. 


like to tell you, unless you can conscientiously say that 
you think you can solve one of the greatest mysteries in 
the world,’’ — and here he paused. 

Why, sir,” said I, everything is a mystery to those 
who do not understand it. I cannot assure you that I can 
be of any service to yoja ; but it is my business to unravel 
these matters which are mysteries to most people, and 
however complicated your case may be, I dare say I can 
cite many instances of as difficult ones, which have been 
worked out.” 

“ I presume so,” said he. “ You are right. ^ What man 
has done man may do,’ you know ; but we’ve tried every- 
thing which seems possible to be done, to solve the 
trouble.” 

Doubtless all you have thought of as being practicable 
has been tried, sir; but there is some solution of your 
trouble possible, sir, of course.” 

Yes, yes; that’s true — unless there is some superior 
power at work in the matter. Some of my family and 
friends think there is.” 

0, ho ! Then to find out that for a certainty would be a 
solution worth having ; but you can only discover that by 
first proving that your affair is not operated by any ordi- 
nary power. Do you mean that it’s thought to be the 
work of disembodied spirits ? ” 

Yes, and 1 confess I am half-inclined to think so myself ; 
and I almost feel sorry that I have come to you so soon,” 
said he, in a voice and manner which revealed to me his 
superstitious proclivities quite pointedly. 

0, well, sir,” I replied, it is not proper for me to press 
you to tell your story now. You must be your own judge 
of the propriety of doing so ; but if you wish to, you can 
recite your case to me confidentially, and I will give you 
whatever construction of it may occur to me.” 

Well, if the matter can remain a secret with you, if you 
do not see a way to solve it, I will tell you, and I do pre- 
sume that you may be able to east some light upon it. The 



THE OLD KNICKERBOCKER IN THE DET^CTiyE'S OFFICE. — “I was thinking why, on the whole, I had come here.' 



NO ONE SUSPECTED, 


177 


case is this. I live at No. 89 Street, as you already 

■ know from Mr. ’s note.’’ 

Yes, sir; I call the house to mind; have often noticed 
it as I have passed along that street.” 

“ Well, sir, now for some eight months I’ve been able to 
keep nothing in our house of a small kind, and valuable 
nature, such as spoons, napkin rings, all sorts of silver 
ware, jewelry, watches, ladies’ dresses, and my own cloth- 
ing, etc., in fact, anything ; it is all mysteriously carried 
off. I say mysteriously, for we have kept watch, night 
after night, and things would disappear right before our 
eyes, as it were.” 

Well,” said I, after a pause of some length, in which 
the old man seemed to be pondering whether he would go 
on with his story or not, looking bewildered, as if there 
Avas something he wished to tell me about, but did not 
quite dare to, or was ashamed to tell. ‘‘Well, tell me 
the Avhole story. How many persons are there in your 
family ? ” 

My Avife and myself, three unmarried daughters ; two 
married ones spend much time there too ; and two of my 
sons, unmarried. They are in business ; but I like to have 
my family about me — ” 

“ Are these all ? ” , 

“ Yes, except, the servants. 1 have four maid-servants 
in the house, besides my coachman and butler.” 

“ Do you suspect none of these servants ? ” 

“ No ; I’ve tested them in every way. They have all, 
with the exception of one girl, been Avith me for from ten 
to twenty-five years. I called the Avomen maid-servants ; 
tAvo of them are widows, one has been a Avidow for twenty 
years, and has lived Avith us for all that time, and the but- 
ler has been Avith us longer. I Avould trust any of them 
as soon as I Avould my own children.” 

“ Of course, then, you suspect no one in your house?” 

“ No, no ; there’s nobody there to do these things. We’ve 
all watched and watched, I tell you, and the servants are 


12 


178 


A STRANGE-LOOKIISrG CASE. 


as much interested as we to know who is the guilty 
actor, for they have lost many things as well as the rest 
of us.” 

You speak of one girl who has not been there so long 
as the rest. How long has she been with you ? ” 

About three years.” 

“ Has she a lover who visits the house ? ” 

“ O, yes ; and he’s been coming there for two years.” 
Why don’t he marry her and take her away ? ” 

My wife wouldn’t part with her — will keep her as long 
as she lives, if she can. She thinks she’s the best servant 
she ever saw. We should suspect her least of all. She 
has lost nearly every keepsake her lover has given her, 
and some very valuable things which her mother gave her 
on leaving Ireland, and the poor girl has nearly cried her 
eyes out over her loss.” 

Well, her lover, what sort of a man is he ? ” 

“ A hard working mechanic ; works at the Novelty 
Works, and bears an excellent name.” 

“ Is he Irish, too? I suppose he is.” 

No ; he is an Englishman — a Yorkshire man, I think.” 
‘‘ Is he Protestant or Catholic ? ” 

Protestant to be sure. She’s Catholic, though.” 

“ Have you ever talked with him about your losses? ” 

‘‘ Yes ; and he and Mary, the girl, have watched several 
times, sitting up to keep my wife company, who was watch- 
ing too ; sitting up half the night, and things would dis- 
appear then.” 

^^So you have no reason for suspecting him. Well, the 
case does look a little strange, I confess,” said I ; but I 
would like to have you go into detail all about your promi- 
ses ; where the things taken were, who were in your house 
at the time, the kind of locks you have on your doors ; 
what searches you have made, at what hours, or between 
what hours, the things have been taken ; for how long, in 
consecutive days or weeks, things have been stolen ; if 
there’s been any cessation of these pilferings for any length 


A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT. 


179 


of time since they began ; if you have ever discovered any 
traces of anybody’s having gotten into the house at this 
or that window ; what part of the house has been rifled 
the most/’ — and every other query I could then think 
of, [ added. 

This drew from the old gentleman a minute story of the 
whole affair. I found the locks were the best ; that he had 
a ferocious watch-dog loose every night in the lower and 
middle part of the house, but excluded from the chambers, 
on the servants’ account, who were afraid of him ; that all 
parts of the house were rifled alike, and it seemed from 
what he said that the thefts were accomplished from about 
the time of the ffxraily’s retiring until morning, for they 
had watched sometimes till near morning, and then on l is- 
ing would find something gone, mostly things of value, 
too ; but sometimes trivial things, such as the grand-chil- 
dren’s tops, etc., when they happened to be visiting there. 
The relatives of the family had been called in to watch 
too; but things went when they were there the same, and 
when the watch was most complete as to the number of 
watchers, then it was that the most valuable things were 
missed, and injury (evidently out of pure malevolence) 
done to valuable furniture ; and finally Mr. Garretson 
told me that there had been / two obvious attempts to 
fire the house, — and this he uttered with tremuluus 
emotions. 

From all I could gather from him I could not make up 
my mind to any conclusions upon which it could rest, and 
I told him I must visit the premises, and make examina- 
tions for myself But I could not go till the next day or 
night, for that night I had engaged to meet some parties 
in counsel upon an important matter ; but which,” said T, 
to him, ^Svas more mysterious, a week ago, than anything 
you have told me, and which has been worked out. Now 
we are to consult as to how best to get the guilty parties 
into our hands, for we know who they are.” This seemed 
to encourage Mr. Garretson for a little, and we parted, 


180 


MRS, GARRET SON. 


I to call at Ills house some time next day, at my conven- 
ience. 

I went as appointed, and was presented by Mr. Garret- 
son to his wife, a fair-looking old lady, of the blonde school. 
Indeed, she was a motherly, sweet woman to look upon, 
and had evidently drunken at the fountain of youth ’’ 
somewhere ; for although she was only five years younger 
than Mr. Garretson, as I learned, she looked thirty years 
his junior. Her face was a blending of the Greek and 
modern German in style, nose aquiline, and head broad, 
and not lacking in height; a pleasingly-shaped head to 
look upon ; and there was all the mercy, tenderness, and 
kindness in her eye and voice which one could desire to 
find in a woman. 

There was a sweet, unostentatious dignity, too, about 
her which compelled respect. She gave me a long account 
of the household’s troubles, of her own watchings night 
after night, of the hypotheses she had had about the mat- 
ter, and how one by one they had been exploded ; and she 
and Mr. Garretson took me all over the house, even up 
into the attic, among piles of old lumber,” such as boxes, 
old trunks, old furniture, that had been set aside to make 
room for new, piled up with hosts of things which almost 
any other family would have sent off to the auction shops, 
or sold to second-hand furniture men. But she explained 
that some of these things had belonged to her grand- 
father, and other deceased relatives, and that a large old 
Butch wooden chest, with great iron clasps all over it, 
was brought over by Mr. Garretson’s ancestors from 
Europe. These she couldn’t bear to sell, she said ; ‘‘ and 
often,” said she, they afford me great pleasure, for when 
Mr. Garretson and the girls are gone from home, I sit up 
here in this old chair ” (and she pointed to a large chair, the 
posts of which were large enough each to make a modern 
chair out of), and muse, read, and think over the past, and 
dwell upon heavenly things to come.” 

In her talk, Mrs- Garretson became quite animated, and 


DFAWRTED SPIRITS: 


18 ^ 


we waited up there, listening to her stories about the old 
furniture and her ancestors, quite a long while. I noticed 
that with the excitement of the hour her face had become 
quite rosy, and that there was a peculiar spot on each 
cheek, not unlike the hectic flush upon the cheeks of the 
consumptive. But she was, apparently, in the lull vigor 
of health ; a tall, but solidly-made woman, and evidently 
had no trouble in her lungs. But the spots gave her face 
a peculiar expression, and withal seemed, somehow, to 
give her eyes the look of subtle intelligence, which I had 
not observed before. I found that although ^Ir. Garretson 
was a s'ensible old man, well educated, and, withal, courtly, 
yet Mrs. G. was the chief spirit of the house, and so I 
consulted her further when we came from the attic. We 
visited each chamber, and looked into each closet, of 
course ; and the windows of the house in front and rear 
were all examined, and I satisfied myself too that there was 
no easy approach, and no Avay of getting in Avithout great 
risk to life or limb from the other adjoining houses ; and I 
examined the basement as thoroughly, talked with the ser- 
vants, and finally Avith the daughters, two of whom were then 
at home, and who came in from making morning calls. One 
of these daughters had settled doAvn upon the conviction 
that the thefts Avere the Avork of disembodied spirits ; but 
to my query if she meant by these words ‘‘departed 
friends she smiled, and said, “ Not exactly ; ’’ and Avent on 
to tell me her religious notions about “ evil spirits,’^ as well 
as good ones, etc. The father fell in Avith her vieAvs con- 
siderably ; but the clear-headed old lady, the mother, in a 
kind Avay, combated them Avith great force. But there 
was no answering the daughter when she retorted, — 
“Well, perhaps it is not the AA^ork of spirits; but Avill 
you tell me Avhose Avork it is — ^^Avho does it? ’’ 

Of course the family could have nothing to reply. They 
had exhausted their powers to solve the mystery, and I 
confess I began to think a particle less lightly of ghosts, 
hobgoblins, and “ spirits of departed men,’’ than ever be- 


182 


MYSTERIOUS. 


fore. That clog, too, which was chained up below, and 
was let loose of nights, Avas a savage-looking fellow, and it 
seemed to me that he Avoiild catch and tear to pieces any- 
thing but a spirit that might be proAvling about the house. 

I Avas at my Avits’ ends to conceive a theory Avhicli 
should throAv liglit upon the subject, or even to make any- 
thing at all like a reasonable conjecture. But I could not 
help feeling that perliaps out of the daughter’s suggestion 
of spiritual ” interference might be Avrought something 
in the Avay of a solution of the vexatious mystery ; and 
so I brought up the topic in that phase again, and Ave all 
entered into a general discussion. 

It appeared .that things had more frequently been missed 
Avhen all the outer doors and all the AvindoAvs of the house 
had been closed and locked, than at other times, when some 
of the upper AvindoAVs especially had been opened ; more in 
the Avinter than in the summer time. The articles taken, 
then, could hardly have been borne by spirits ” even, 
through the solid doors, or the glass of the Avindows ; and 
so I inquired if it was sure that every trunk and every 
hiding-place in the house had been searched, and AAms as- 
sured by all, father, mother, and daughters that such 
search had been frequently made by them ; and they ex- 
plained how they had gone to the bottom of trunks and 
boxes, and had “ shaken out sheets,” etc., for in the early 
period of these thefts, it had been conjectured that the 
things missed had simply been mislaid. The daughter 
gave me her reasons extendedly for supposing the thefts 
the Avork of spirits, and 1 had to confess that some of her 
reasoning seemed good, “ provided ahvays,” as a laAvyer 
Avould say, that there are any such existences as spirits ” 
at all. But the family believeddn spirits ; ” Avhether they 
could or did communicate Avith ‘‘ things on earth,” or not, 
was the Avhole question Avith them ; but the mother’s judg- 
ment seemed to settle the question for the father and the 
other daughter, Avhich Avas, that these thefts AA^ere not com- 
mitted by spirits ; and to this point Ave got during my 


MYSTERIOUS. 


183 


tarry there that day, and it was agreed that I should re- 
turn in the evening and pass the night in the house. 

I left Mr. Garretson’s, and being a little weary, when I 
returned home threw myself on my bed, and managed to 
secure about four hours’ sleep, which I needed in view of 
my prospective watcliing that night, and I arrived at Mr. 
G.’s about/ half past ten o’clock. A room had been pre- 
pared for me on the first flight, above the parlor, its door 
opening into the broad hall, which room I took after a half 
hour’s conversation with the family. It appeared that 
things were missed equally on nights when the gas was 
burning dimly about the house, as when it was shut off ; 
and I deemed it best to have a slight.light burning in the 
halls, parlors, and so forth, which was permitted. Bidding 
the family good night (having concluded to not let the 
dog loose for fear, in my secret mind, that he might attack 
me if loose, and I should be about the house ; but which 
thought I did not then reveal, saying only that he might 
make a noise, and I could perhaps listen better if I heard 
steps). I betook myself to my room, and drawing a 
lounge near to the door, which was open a few inches, 
I stretched myself upon it, and began to muse upon the 
probabilities in the case. There I lay. The clock struck 
twelve — again it struck one — and 1 had no occasion to 
move from my position, and began to conceive that possi- 
bly the “ spirits ” wouldn’t work with me in the house. A 
half hour more went on, when suddenly I discovered the 
light in the hall go out. Quickly leaving the lounge, I 
rushed into the hall, only to discover that it was total dark- 
ness all over the house, save in my room. When Mrs. 
Garretson, hearing me, stepped to her door, and said, — 

Is that you, Mr. ? ” 

Yes, madam. I saw the light go out, and I came to 
see what it means.” 

0,” said she, I put out the light, for somehow, I 
found it oppressive — the sense of it — and could not sleep, 
and I guess we shall not be disturbed to-night.” 


184 


MYSTERIOXIS. 


A few more words were exchanged between us, when I 
retired to my room, and there watched the whole night out, 
waiting for some sign of noise in the house. But I re- 
flected that Mrs. (4. had been in different parts of the 
house to put out the lights, and I had not heard her move. 
Had she not put oiit the lights I should not have known 
that she had stirred. How, then, could I liear spirits, or 
even mortals, so far as their footfalls were concerned ? Mr. 
G. got up early that morning, came to my room, and begged 
me to go to bed and sleep, as he should be up and about 
the rest of the morning, as well as the servants, who would 
soon be up. They would have a late breakfast, or I could 
lie till dinner time, if I liked, and get a good rest. He 
closed the door as he went out, and I lay till called for 
dinner. At breakfast-time Mr. G. had made his way to 
my room, and finding me snoring soundly,’’ as he said, 
let me sleep on. 

At dinner, it was disclosed that some three or four things 
had been missed that night ; among them a very valuable 
gold thimble, which the daughters knew was left in a given 
place, and they were the last who retired ; and a peculiar, 
elegant, silver-mounted sea-shell, which had been brought 
from the Mediterranean, and on which had been cut some 
sea-songs in the modern Greek language. I had noticed 
this beautiful shell myself. Where were these gone, and 
who had taken them? Mrs. Garretson was sure that she 
was awake a good part of the night, and could have heard 
anybody moving about the house, for with a screen at 
their door, her husband and herself usually left their bed- 
room door open. We canvassed the matter over and over, 
and arrived at no conclusion. Finally, it was determined 
that I should stay the coming night. And I left, and re- 
turned in due time. This night was one of severe watch- 
ing, to no purpose. Nothing wasTound to be gone, and I 
watched still the third night, to no purpose. No noise 
was there, and nothing taken ; and I gave up the matter 


PREPAniNG TO RETIRE. 


185 


for a while, subject to be called in again if Mr. Garretson 
thought best. 

Several days, and finally three weeks passed, before I 
was again called. Meanwhile this case was constantly on 
my mind, no matter how busily I was employed with other 
matters, some of which were almost as difficult of solution 
as this. I could not yet come to any conclusion ; but I 
had resolved, that if I should be called in again, what course 
to pursue. At the end of three weeks Mr. G. called on 
me, and said that the spirits ” were again at work ; had 
visited the house the night before, and carried off several 
things, this time having evidently tried to carry away some 
chairs, for they found two of the parlor chairs in the base- 
ment hall, standing against the door. This was rather too 
much for my credulity, that “ spirits should do these 
things, and I went that night to Mr. G.’s with the deter- 
mined purpose of meeting the spirits in the operation 
of carrying off chairs, etc., for I concluded I could see the 
furniture if the spirits were indeed invisible. The room I 
had before was given me, and the household retired, — I 
giving them no clew to the course 1 intended to pursue. 
The dog was chained as before, and I had taken quiet 
notice of the location of everything in the parlors, and 
had visited the kitchen (from which things were frequent- 
ly taken, even loaves of bread, for which I suspected the 
‘‘ spirits had no use), and taken notes there. I had visited 
the dog in company with Mrs. G., and gotten into his 
good graces as well as I could, and made him familiar with 
my voice. 

The family retired, and so did I, but not to sleep. In a 
half hour after going to my room, there being no light in 
the house this night, I took a dark lantern I had secretly 
brought with me, and taking off my boots, tripped down 
into the parlors, out of one of which, in the somewhat old- 
fashioned house, opened a closet with shelves in it, at the top, 
but with room enough for me to sit comfortably in it upon 
an ottoman, which I placed there, and with the door slight- 


186 


MEETING THE SPIRIT. 


ly ajar, there I sat. Of course I was well armed for any 
emergency, and my purpose was to shoot anything like a 
“ spirit I might find prowling about, provided I could get 
siglit of the wretch. There I remained for two hours 
and over, when, about half after one o’clock in the morn- 
ing I lieard something like a person’s stumbling against 
a chair. I listened intently, and heard something moving 
very stealthily. There was no light in the room, and so 
cocking my trusty pistol, and holding it in my right hand, 
I with the other brought out from its concealment my 
dark lantern, and threw its full blaze into the room, and 
there, to my astonishment, I found a person in a night- 
gown, with a sort of tunic over it. The size indicated 
Mrs. G., and I was just about to apologize to her, when 
she turned about, and I saw that her eyes were closed. 
There was a very peculiar and cunning look in her face, and 
she concealed in her tunic a pair of opera glasses, and other 
small things, which she took from the Hageres in tliQ cor- 
ner of the room. It flashed upon my mind at once, of 
course, that Mrs. G. was the troublesome spirit ” 1 was 
seeking, and I immediately turned the veil upon my lamp, 
fearing that the light might disturb her operations, and 
awaken her ; for I suspected at once that she was in a state 
of partial sleep, and was, in short, a somnambulist ; and when 
in the condition of one, affected with the desire to conceal 
things ; romancing, in short, in her dreams. I resolved to 
follow her, to see what disposition she would make of her 
prizes ; and so, when 1 concluded she had gotten to the 
other side of the room, I brought out my lantern again, 
and discovered her tripping lightly to the hall stairs, and 
I slowly and softly followed. Up stairs she went, and up 
another flight, and finally ascended the vattic stairs. 1 fol- 
lowed, as near as I could, without disturbing her, and with 
my light got the opportunity of seeing her open the big 
Dutch chest, of which I have spoken before. She un- 
locked it, and 1 waited no longer, but went down to my 
room, and stood within the door of it waiting for her to 


•A 



.» V 






'-l.iS. . 




Zi* 1. 


DISCOVEKING THE “SPIRITS,” AT NO. 89 STREET, N, Y. — I found a person in a night-gown with a sort of tunic over it. 






ASTONISHMENT AROUND THE BOARD. ^189 


return.. She came down after some ten minutes had passed, 
as stealthily and softly as she had gone up, and there was 
playing upon her face, which my light partly turned on 
revealed, that same covert smile. She passed on to her 
bed-room door which was open, and must have glided 
around the screen, which stood within the doorway, and 
lay down. 

I withdrew to my room, locked the door, and went to 
bed, and slept more soundly than I had done for three 
nights before, — the solace which comes to mental anxiety 
is so much more soothing than the balm which heals only 
physical pains. Breakfast was called at a late hour next 
morning, and I felt perfectly refreshed from my sleep, and 
was in one of my jolliest moods ; and when I announced at 
table that I had, I tliought (as I cautiously said), fully 
solved the mystery, — had seen the spirits,’^ and knew all 
about the matter, — there was no little astonishment ex- 
pressed all around the board. But I got the family in a 
joking mood, and held them in suspense — in half doubts. 
Mrs. G. was the liveliest of all, and said they could never 
be grateful enough to me, never could pay me enough for 
what I had done, if I had really scented out the culprits. 
They asked me all sorts of questions ; but I was not ready 
to explain, for I was in doubt what was the best course, — 
whether I should tell the mother alone, or the father, or 
both, or all. 

At last I decided upon a course, which was, to get the 
daughters and mother away from the house on some er- 
rand ; to tell the father, and with him make search of the 
chest, and every other conceivable hiding-place in the 
house, which thing, — the sending off of the mother and 
daughters, — was readily accomplished after I had slyly 
taken the father to my room, when the ladies were occu- 
pied with their cares and pleasures, and told him that I 
wished he would ask no questions why, but that I desired 
he would send out his family. 

Fortunately they wer#^ projecting a visit that day to 


190 


A CURIOUS TREASURY. 


some friends in a distant part of the city, and the old gen- 
tleman encouraged it ; and finally ordered out his carriage, 
and sent them off with the driver, in great glee, in their 
expectancy of the great revelation when we get home,^’ 
as the spiritualistic daughter expressed it. 

They had not gotten well away before I asked the father 
to hunt up whatever keys he could find in the house ; and 
he was not long in finding two or three bunches, and sev- 
eral other single ones besides, and, Avithout explaining any- 
thing, I told him to follow me, and proceeded at once to 
the attic. A half dozen trials of the keys resulted in 
the chest’s yielding up its deposits. Tliere we found all 
sorts of things secreted away in old boxes placed within 
the chest, and all covered Avith a blanket, and over all this 
small piles of time-old neAvspapers, brown and faded. The 
chest was very capacious, and contained a great deal of 
the silver Avare that had been taken, valuable little arti- 
cles of virtu; a large quantity of jewelry, and all sorts of 
small things Avhich are ordinarily to be found in the houses 
of Avealthy people. These Avere all nicely laid aAvay. Con- 
siderable order Avas observed in their arrangement, Avhich 
accounted for the hours of solitary comfort Avhich Mrs. G. 
told me, on the first visit to the attic, that she spent there 
among the old mementos of the past. But Avhen Ave had 
gotten everything out of the chest, 5klr. G. called to mind 
many things Avhich had been missed, Avhich Avere not found 
there ; so Ave made the most scrupulous search into old 
trunks, and other things in the attic, Avithout much avail, 
finding a feAv things, hoAvever. At last, in removing some 
old boxes Avhich stood atop of each other, and against the 
chief chimney running through the attic, Ave came across 
a fireplace, which Mr. G. said he had forgotten all about. 
Long years before the house had been extended into the 
rear yard (for it AA^as a corner house), by a small “ L,” in 
Avhich the servants Avere provided with rooms. Prior to 
that some of them had occupied a room done off in the* 
attic, the board partitions of Avhich had been removed. It 


A COUNCIL OF war: 


191 


was then this fireplace was in use. A sheet-iron ‘‘ fire- 
board ” closed it up, and was held in place by a button. 
As I took hold of the button, and found it moved easily, I 
said to Mr. G., We shall find treasures hero ; ’’ and we did. 
It was quite full of household things ; and here we found 
some of the largest pieces of silver ware that had been 
lost. A full tea-service, etc., together with a large roll of 
bank bills, and five bills of old “ Continental scrip,’’ the 
loss of which Mr. G. had mourned as much as that of almost 
all the rest, for they were pieces which Alexander Hamilton 
had given to Mr. G.’s father, upon a certain occasion nota- 
ble in the history of the latter, and bore General Hamil- 
ton’s initials in his own liand. 

We continued our search, and found other things, which 
it is needless to specify. Then Mr. G. and I held a “ coun- 
cil of war ” as to what was to be next done. We con- 
cluded that the servants must not be allowed to know any- 
thing about the matter, and we had not concluded whether 
the daughters were to be let into the secret or not. This 
was after I had told Mr. G. of my solution of the matter, 
which I had kept secret from him until we came to consider 
what was to bo done with the things. At first we thought 
we would at once carry them all to his bedroom, and place 
them in a large closet there. But finally Mr. G. thought 
it would be more satisfying to see his wife operate, him- 
self; and we put back the things as well as we could, and 
went down. It was arranged that I should come back 
that night to watch further, and that Mr. G. should tell 
the family that I wished to make more investigations, and 
that I was not quite satisfied after all ; which he did. That 
night I returned, kept excellent watch, and Mrs. G., as 
fate would have it, left her room, and went prowling 
about as before. At the proper time I entered Mr. G.’s 
room, and awakened him ; and, drawing on his pantaloons, 
and wrapping himself in a cloak, he followed me, and 
watched his wife’s manoeuvres to his satisfaction, and re- 
tired, before she had concluded her work. 


192 


THE BEST HIEDIUM FOR BUSINESS: 


The next day, at breakfast, the family rallied me about 
the things missed the night before, Mr. G. joining in the 
badgering, jokingly. I played the part of a defeated man, 
half covered with shame ; and before noon Mr. G. had the 
family out to ride again. We hastily gathered up all the 
lost and found treasures, and placed them in a large closet 
in Mr. G.^s bedroom ; he having made up his mind to give 
his wife, by herself, a great surprise, and then tell her 
what he had seen, and consult her feelings as to whether 
the children were to ever know how the things were got- 
ten back, or not. 

He was anxious to have me wait till she came ; and we 
managed, without exciting the suspicion of the girls, to 
get together in the bedroom, where Mr. G. opened the 
door of the closet, first cautioning Mrs. G. to make no loud 
exclamation, and there revealed the lost treasures. 

See what the ^ spirits ’ have brought back to us ? ” 

said he. “ Mr. is the best ^ medium for business ^ in 

the city. We must give him a certificate ; ’’ and the old 
man “ rattled away with his jokes, while Mrs. G. looked 
on with astonishment and delight. 

“ You must tell me all about it,’' said she. How did you 
find these things ? Who brought them ? Who is the thief? 
How did he get in the house ? Does he come down chim- 
ney ? ” and a host of other questions. 

I’ll tell you all about it to-night,” said Mr. G. “ It is a 
long story ; but first the girls must be called to see the 
lost treasures now restored.” And the daughters were 
called up. To their queries, uttered amidst the profound- 
est astonishment, as to how, and when, etc., the treasures 
were brought back, and who was the thief, and if it was 
some Catholic, who had disgorged the stolen goods 
through the confessional, Mr. G. only answered, slyly 
winking at the spiritualistic daughter, ^^It was througli 
the moans of a first-rate ^ medium ’ that the things were 
restored.” 

There, there,” said the daughter, too serious to under- 


A QUESTION FOR THE DOCTORS, 


193 


stand her father^s irony, I could have told you so. 
What do yon think now of spiritualism, father?^’ 

0, I don't know,’' said he in reply. “ There are a great 
many s^t range things in the world, that’s a fact.” But he 
would not promise to ever tell them how the things got 
back, and the ladies went to assorting them, and comment- 
ing on eacli article. It was a novel sight to see the eager- 
ness ^^ith wliicli they grasped at this or that article as it 
turned up. — the long-lost treasures found. 

1 left the house duly that day, and I understood from Mr. 
G., who called on me three or four days after, that when 
he told his wife that night what he had seen, and how she 
looked, and so forth, when moving about so slyly, that she 
had a “ great crying spell ” over it, and did not wish the 
daughters to be informed of the secret state of things; 
and that for fear the somnambulistic state should come 
upon her again, she tied her arm or foot to the bedstead, 
in order to be awakened if she should attempt to get out 
of bed. But she had had no more attacks of the disease. 

Perhaps her severe crying broke it,” said he; 

I made many inquiries of Mr. G. about his wife’s habits 
in life, her general health, her peculiar troubles, if she had 
any, by way of resolving this mystery of the kleptomania 
connected with the somnambulism ; and from all I could 
learn, I believe that she was one of the most conscientious 
and best of mortals in her normal state, and I was led to 
believe that the kleptomania, if not the somnambulism, was 
caused by diseases, though slight ones, peculiar to the 
female sex ; but why these came on so late in life, (for 
Mrs. Garre tson was sixty-three years old,) I cannot con- 
ceive, but leave that for the doctors to decide. 


13 


THE SORCERESS’ TRICK, AND HOW SHE 

WAS CAUGHT. 


CLASSIFICATION OF MEN — THE SUPERSTITIOUS ELEMENT IN MAN — THB 
OLD CULTS CONTINUED IN THE NEW — FIRE WORSHIP — THE SORCERERS 
/' — MY LEGAL FRIEND’s STORY A LAUGHABLE ONE INDEED — THE DE- 

SPONDENT OLD MAID, THOUGH ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED — AN AUNT 
ARRIVES IN “the NICK OF TIME” — THEY HUNT UP A FORTUNE- 
TELLER — MRS. SEYMOUR, THE SORCERESS, AND HER PRETTY LITTLE 
“ ORATORY ” — THE “ PRIE-DIEU ” — THE OLD MAID MARRIES — MRS. 
SEYMOUR’S PLAN FOR INSURING THE AFFECTION OF HUSBANDS — HER 
POWERS AS A CHARMER — THE SACRED BOX AND ITS FIVE THOUSAND 
DOLLARS CONTENTS — MRS. SEYMOUR IS LOST SIGHT OF — SEARCH FOR 
HER IN BROOKLYN AND AT BOSTON — THE CHARMED BOX OPENED BY MR. 

AND MRS. , AND THE CONTENTS FOUND TO HAVE CHANGED FORM 

MATERIALLY — MY LEGAL FRIEND AND I LOOK AFTER MATTERS — A 
PORTION OF THE TRANSFORMED VALUABLES FOUND — A MRS. BRADLEY, 
A “medium” in BOSTON, PROVES TO BE THE IDENTICAL MRS. SEY- 
MOUR — THE HIGH-TONED DEVOTEES OF BOSTON — SUDDEN PROCEED- 
INGS TAKEN — MRS. SEYMOUR AND HER HUSBAND COME TO TERMS — 
RESULTS — RESPECTABLE VICTIMS OF THE SORCERERS NUMEROUS — 
THE DUPES IN THE “ATHENS OF AMERICA.” 

What the human race might have become without the 
love of the mysterious or marvellous in its composition, 
would bo a pretty subject of speculation for the philoso- 
phers, but one which human genius will prove perhaps ever 
unable to solve. There are three classes of human beings, 
— or so I am apt to divide them in my philosophy,’^ — 
the good, and in different degrees, sensible ; the crafty ; and 
the simple and weak, neither positively good or bad. 
These latter two divisions comprehend the vast majority 
of mankind, made so, to a great extent, by the institutions 
which the race has, in its ignorance, wrought out for itself, 
and by which it is constantly cursed, until one by one it 


SUN-WORSIIIP. 


195 


outgroAvs, along the course of the ages, these outrages 
upon itself, which itself has imposed. This process of 
outgrowing Ave call progress, and so it is, perhaps ; but it 
AA’ould be more satisfactory progress if, Avhen it overrides 
or abates one AAU’ong or malicious incumbrance. upon a race, 
it could or Avould also aA^oid the establishment of another 
equally bad. The love of the mysterious is, to a great ex- 
tent, the religious element in man. Some Avriters hold that 
it is sucli to the full extent ; but I am not about to decide 
that, even for myself alone, much less for others. True it 
is, hoAvever, that in all historic time this element, or Avhat- 
ever else one is pleased to call it, has been the medium 
through Avhich the intellectual and tyrant forces in the race 
have subjected the Aveaker to their SAvay. The ancient 
oracles played upon the superstitious in men in the govern- 
ment of Avhole races and nations, and to-day the oracles of 
old are reproduced among us in a thousand AA^ays, and the 
religions of the past, in their symbolizations, exist among 
us, and exert their influence, almost unconsciously to the 
masses. 

For example. That beautiful cidt, or religion of old, — 
sun-Avorship, — is traceable in modern institutions, and the 
old fire-Avorship, so Avondrous, still lives in that word 
Purity (from the Greek Avord pur, fire), which is the ex- 
pression of our .highest or deepest sense of all that is 
morally perfect ; and in the very steeples of our churches 
is the old fire-Avorship symbolized ; for the steeple is but a 
representation of the old obelisks, Avhich Avere themselves 
but symbols of the tall shafts of fire Avhich shot up from 
the toj) of some mountain, like Sinai, Avhen the Avorship- 
pers built thereon the vast 6o?i-fires, — or good, i. e., holy, 
— fires to Avhich the vast assemblages poured forth their 
<fevotions. And^in even the names of the days of the 
Aveek Ave preserve the memories of the old superstitions, 
and to some extent tlie superstitions themselves — Sun-day, 
day devoted to the Avorship of the sun, and so on. In 
Thurs-da^, or Thor^s-day, Ave are kept in mind of the old 


196 


MODER]^ SORCERESSES. 


Scandinavian god, as potent in the estimation of his wor- 
shippers as the Jehovah of the Hebrews was to them, 
though a somewhat different character. 

Through all grades, and shades, and degrees the super- 
stitious element of to-day finds itself fed. The sublime 
and the ridiculous still exists as of old, and the advertising 
columns of the public journals tell but too plainly and pain- 
fully of the susceptibility of the masses to the deceits and 
frauds to which the superstitious element in them subjects 
them. The sorcerers are not yet extinct, and the prophets, 
as good as most of those of ancient days, and magicians 
as expert as those whom the greater magician, Moses, out- 
witted, are still to be found; and I suspect these excel 
those of ancient times in one important, the most impor- 
tant art — that of money-getting. But they have an ad- 
vantage over their prototypes in that they have the 
influence of the public journals of these days to widely 
proclaim themselves — to make their pretensions heard by 
a larger audience. I suspect that many a reader of this 
wmuld be surprised to learn, could he be statistically in- 
formed, how vast is the number of the victims of modern 
sorcery. These are not confined to the lower orders, as 
many an intelligent and educated man, who has not made 
the special matter of remark here a study, might quite 
sensibly suspect. None of the conventional grades of 
society, whether the same be measured by money, by the 
education of books, or what is called blood, or high 
hereditary social position, is lacking in them ; and it is re- 
markable that the victims from the educated circles are as 
much more intense, generally, in their superstitions, as 
their superiority in other respects to the uneducated is 
marked and distinguished. I suppose this may be ac- 
counted for thus : Being once led into superstition, the 
man of letters resorts to his pride of intellect to sustain 
himself in it, and deepen his convictions ; for although we 
cannot exactly believe whatever we please, — for the charac- 
ter of evidence must be a matter of some consideration 


*^THE JOLLIEST AFFAIE: 


197 


with us, must have weight with us, — yet when we are led 
on to a certain point, and have averred our belief in any 
absurdity, we are disposed to admit its logical consequences, 
however wide apart from good sense they may be. 

In this narrative I have first to deal with parties of higli 
social position — of education, and much refinement, of 
course, — but descended from a long line of ancestors more 
or less noted for their inclination to believe everything 
which came to them under the similitude of religion or 
superstition of any kind — anything which seemed to 
them inexplicable ; anything, in other words, mysterious to 
them. 

A lawyer of my acquaintance — in fact an old friend, 
who had employed me many times before, especially in the 
ferreting out of legal evidence in criminal matters — came 
one day into my office with a broad grin on his face. I 
was in pretty good humor, and was beguiling an hour or 
two, — while I was awaiting the advent of a party who I 
hoped would bring me some valuable news of the working 
of a little plot of mine in the investigation of a case, — 
with Dickens’s Martin Chuzzlewit. Of course I was in 
good humor, enjoying that rare word-painter’s faithful pic- 
tures of American society as he found it ; and my friend, 
the lawyer, was of course enjoying himself, otherwise why 
that irresistible grin, which, in my mood, stirred me up to 
outright laughter as he entered ? 

What’s up ? ” I said. Deliver yourself instanter ; for 
I want to hear the fun.” 

0, ho,” he replied, I’ve the jolliest aftair to tell you 
of that ever occurred in the line of my experience. I am 
counsel, advocate, and judge in the matter, and expected 
to be constable, jury, and executioner, all in one ; for the 
whole thing, involving love and lovers, ‘ potions and pills,’ 
quacks, schemers, thieves, and everything else, is left in 
my hands, and I’ve come over to divide the honors with 
you — ” 

Well, well ; after your long opening, suppose you come 


198 Tim PVj^NIEST Tinm IN THE WORLD. 


down to the points in the matter — ^ judge/ ^executioner/ 
or wliatever you please to call yourself in the prem- 
ises.’’ 

‘‘ To begin, then, you must know that there’s a part of 
the business which you must not know at present, and that 
is, the names of the people I am about to tell you of 
These people occupy a very high position in society, and 
their case is the funniest thing in the world, considering 
their rank, life-time associations, and the man’s official po- 
sition in the world, or rattier the one which he has held, — - 
a \4^‘y high one under the government. You must under- 
stand that he is old and wealthy, and that his wife is a 
young woman, comparatively speaking, though she had 
arrived at that degree of maturity before marriage which 
entitles a lady to the honors of an old maid. She is ex- 
tremely well educated, comes of a good family, and has 
been a successful teacher in her day in a ladies’ seminary. 
All things considered, she is, in the general way, rather 
the superior of her husband. This much to begin with, to 
give you a sort of inkling of how extraordinary the case 
is ; for if they were simply a couple of fools, or ordinary 
people, the matter wouldn’t have any spice in it.” 

Well,” I broke in as he paused, go on, and satisfy my 
curiosity, counsellor, now that you’ve whetted it up.” 

“ Be patient,” said he, and I will, but I am always 
choked with the comicality of the affair when I picture it 
to myself ; and 1 Avas onl}^ stopping to gather a little dig- 
nity, to go on reciting the serious thing to you. The par- 
ties are very rich, and it’s only a matter of some five 
thousand dollars anyhow — a bagatelle for them. They 
are ugly about it, considering the way they, or rather she, 
was duped,” — and here the laAvyer fairly roared, as he 
slapped his hand upon his knee, over the thought 'of such 
people’s being “ taken in and done for ” by the arts which 
usually prevail mostly among the ignorant. But there is 
no telling what the superstitious element in the mind may 
not lead to. 


THE KNA WING FEAR, 


199 


My friend went on to say, then, that about the time of 
the marriage of the old maid in question with the rich old 
man, she had, in brooding over her future, gotten it into 
her head in some way, that perhaps his affection, — of 
which she felt pretty contentedly sure for the time, how- 
ever, — might wane and grow less, and she become but a 
slave to the old man and his money. Brooding over 
this, she got quite melancholy and nervous.’^ She really 
loved the old man, who was not only a man of ability and 
honors, but was very kind of soul. Of course, too, his 
great wealth was no objection to a woman who could 
appreciate the value of a comfortable home, or enjoy the 
refinements of a luxurious one. 

I would not wish to intimate,’’ said the lawyer, “ that 
she took this matter of wealth into consideration, even 
lightly ; for I like to assure myself once in a while that 
there are to be found a few women in this populous vale 
of tears, who have considerations superior to the thought 
of wealth ; and, verily, this woman looks to me like one of 
those.” 

But the woman got nervous. If his affection should fail, 
why, she would become only a prettily-dressed bird in a 
handsome cage, with enough to eat and drink, but without 
loving companionship ; excluded, in fact, from the society 
of her old and poorer friends, and, to use a religious phrase, 
unhappy enough to be practically without God in the 
world.” She hardly dared to mention to any of her particu- 
lar friends the dreadful thought that was knawing at her 
heart, and growing fiercer every day, for fear they would 
ridicule her. 

Ladies having passed a certain age are supposed to be 
peculiarly sensitive on matters touching love and marriage, 
you know,” said my friend, with a very knowing wink in 
his eye. 

No, she had no friend to pour out her soul to on the 
very point, of all things, the most dear to her. Her in- 
tended” had exhibited some peculiarities of character 


200 


cnnisTLi:: fortitude. 


which she did not understand, and now, while she was 
brooding over her especial grief, he was naturally enough 
more eccentric than ever. Possibly he, too, was undergo- 
ing fears, — fears that when he grew older, and older — 
and he was far in a-lvance of her in years, — that her affec- 
tion would wane, and then all that would bind her to him 
would be his money. Perhaps he had caught her disease 
unconsciously, ^7ithal the condition of things generally 
between them, in their silent hearts, must have been any- 
thing but pleasant to both of them. The lady prayed for 
light to know her duty to herself and her coming lord, — 
in fact, to be. taught from on high whether she would be 
doing a wrong or not to him, to marry him, — for her fever 
had burned on beyond the point of simple selfishness. 
The great question of duty and right had seized hold of 
her mind, and she had become religiously morbid thereon. 
But one thing she thought she knew for a certainty — that 
she not only loved him now, but would continue to love 
him., always. So sh j reflected that she should do no wrong 
to him in marrying ; and she finally got to the resolution 
that she would patiently bear his coldness and neglect, and 
even his tyranny, if he should display anything of the last, 
as a good Christian woman ought to, — and the time 
set for the wedding was fast drawing near. But she found 
this resolution of Christian fortitude under the condition 
of unrequited love rather more than a good human nature 
could bear, or ought ever to be asked to bear ; and it got 
to be an awful burden to her, meek and lowly though 
she was. 

As the time grew shorter before the wedding, the lady^a 
wakeful hours at night greAv longer and more burdensome, 
and her friends began to notice their telling effect upon 
her countenance, and whole constitution, in fact. Such of 
them as were indelicate enough (and who ever knew many 
ladies, especially, who are not inclined to be indelicate at 
times on matters of love and marriage, or rather towards 
tho^e indulging the one and contemplating the other ?), — 
19 * 


CLAIR-RY-VOY-ANTS AND SUCH. 


201 


such, my friend went on to say, got to poking fun at her 
a little ; said the condition she contemplated must be ter- 
rible, indeed, since it wore upon her so much, etc. — all of 
which did not seem to amend matters much. 

But finally, only three or four days before the time set 
for the wedding, and not over an hour after her old lover 
had called, and rolled away in his carriage, — he having 
seemed very gloomy that day, too, — an old aunt of the 
lady came, — ^came from New Orleans to pass a few days 
with her niece, — and she found the latter in tears. She 
had heard of her nice's prospective marriage ; and as she 
was a demonstrative old lady, and very sympathetic, she 
both pitied her niece, a'hd spared no pains in attempting 
to console her, and finally won her great secret. 

La, me I exclaimed the old aunt ; “ do tell — is that 
all that’s troubling you so ? Now, do take heart. I tell 
you we can get that sore spot fixed up, — cured in a mighty 
short time. I understand all about it. Fact is. I’ve had 
such an experience myself in my day, and I’ve known 
others have the like, and I got it all made right, and they 
did too, if there’s any believin’ folks ; but some folks are 
curious creatures — that’s true, Mary,” (for that’s the niece’s 
first name) ; and she went on to tell her “ as how ” she didn’t 
believe in witchcraft, or in seers, or clair-ry-voy-ants ” (as 
she called tliem), or in fi»rtune-tel!ers, either with the cards 
or without them,” nor in them as sees into things through 
crystal^, and sucli like,” as a general thing. But she did 
believe that some folks had a magic about them, by which 
they could peer into the future, and prevent things hap- 
pening tliat might otherwise occur. She was a very gar- 
rulous old lady, it would seem, and overwhelmed her i iece 
with instances enough, which she had ‘‘known” to prove 
valuable, of the mysterious “power of some people,” to 
establish a general rule in favor of all seers’ pretensions. 

The niece was just in the mood to believe in anything 
that seemed likely to bring her any relief, and asked her 
Hunt for her advice in the premises, which was given, of 


202 


A SENSUOUS CLASS. 


course, and was to the effect that they sliould find out a 
good fortune-teller, and visit her next day. But the time 
was short, and they had no acquaintances of whom they 
could inquire. The aunt sighed deeply over the fact that 
New Orleans was so far off; “ for if it wasn’t, we would go 
and visit old Aunt Betsy ” ■ — an aged negro woman — 
right off. She’s always sure and certain. I’ve tried her 
a hundred times.” 

What, aunt I a hundred times ? ” asked Mary. 

“ Yes, yes, a full hundred times.” 

Why, aunt, then I am afraid you do believe in fortune- 
tellers.” 

No, no ; 1 don’t. I told you that I don’t, generally 
speaking; but Aunt Betsy is a wonder, if she is black. 
She ain’t any the worse for that, I tell you, no matter 
what the rest of the blacks are.” 

Any one acquainted with the character of the people, 
who, at the South, put their trust in prophetic old negroes 
and negresses, need no further hint as to the superstitious 
character of Mary’s aunt. They are a peculiar class, the 
like of whom is not to be found in all the world besides. 
The}^ are weaker tlian the idolaters of the East, and are 
generally a sensuous, if not sensual, class, they who wor- 
ship these old negroes, and there are a great many of 
them. The aunt was not only superstitious, but enthusi- 
astic — one of those magnetic creatures, who, at times, ex- 
ercise a good deal of influence — a sort of psychologic ” 
power over others ; and in Mary’s state of mind, she was 
not much disposed to resist the aunt’s advisory sugges- 
tions. She needed sympathy at the time, and was willing 
to accept it in whatever form presented. 

With no one to inquire of as to a successful fortune- 
teller,” the aunt and Mary consulted the newspapers, de- 
termining to select among the advertisements the name 
of the medium,” or sight-seer,” or “ clairvoyant,” or 
what not, who appeared to reside in the most respectable 
quarters ; and they were not long in determining, through 


MRS. SEYMOUR, THE SORCERESS. 


203 


the column^ of the Herald, upon a Mrs. Seymour, then ra 
siding in Grand Street. This Mrs. Seymour was the 
wife of a crafty Irishman, of much intelligence, and ex- 
tremely good address, by the name of Brady. This man 
was capable of concocting dark designs ; and although his 
wife was also a cunning person, and was not lacking in 
real skill and strategy, yet it was generally supposed, 
as I learned on investigating this case, that he was the 
subtle power behind the throne when any great cheat 
or curious deviltry was performed by her. But she was 
a “ canpy ” woman, after all, and as mild and attractive, 
when she pleased to be, as she was sharp and unscrupu- 
lous. Long experience had given her great facility in 
necromantic arts, and the smoothness of her tongue was 
something remarkable. It is supposed by most people, 
who are unacquainted with these sorcerers, that they are 
both illiterate and unintelligent. They are usually igno- 
rant of books ; but they are by no means lacking in intel- 
ligence, cultivated and sharpened by a discipline which 
books can hardly give. 

“ Mrs. Seymour ” was the assumed name of the wife — 
her advertising sobriquet — a name well chosen, since, un- 
like her real name, it did not suggest her Irish origin, and 
therefore forbid Irish servant girls from visiting her, and 
leaving with her a dollar or two dollars a time for advice 
on the subject of their lovers, marriages, or a new place 
to work. The Irish in this country, at least, have no re- 
spect for sorcerers of Irish birth. The name, too, sounds 
not unaristocratic ] something substantial about it ; has not 
the appearance of being assumed, like those of “ Madame 
Leclerque,'’ '' Madame Duponleau,’’ and other high-sound- 
ing aliases of some fat, dumpy English or Welsh woman, 
or some dark weazen-faced Polish hag, whose real name is 
perhaps Johnson, Jones, or Thomascowitch. 

Mrs. Seymour ” was a middle-sized woman, not ugly 
of features, not handsome, with a sort of mobile face, 
which could easily assume any expression which her sub- 


204 


THE SORCERESS* PRIE-HIEU. 


tie, crafty mind might suggest. Her house was a decent 
abode, pretty well furnished ; and, in this respect, far above 
the character of the houses which most mediums and 
fortune-tellers inhabit, presenting a cosy, inviting appear- 
ance in the parlor. Mr. Brady, a man of wholesome face 
and good address, was usually at home to aid in entertain- 
ing visitors, especially ladies, who called upon Mrs. Sey- 
mour ’’ professionally. 

To “ Mrs. Seymour ” went the aunt and Mary, and at 
first had a sitting ’’ with her, in order to test her capacity 
at fortune-telling. On entering the house, they had first 
encountered the shrewd Mr. Brady, who probably at once 
suspected that the younger woman was revolving matri- 
monial matters in her mind, and having opportunity to 
speak with his wife in private before she entered the 
room, told her, probably, his suspicions. At all events, 
Mrs. Seymour had hardly sitten down, and thrown herself 
into her accustomed trance, before she told Mary that she 
had come there upon a question of marriage, and that 
there were troubles in the way, and invited her to free 
her mind. The simple-hearted Mary and the credulous 
aunt were taken aback at once by Mrs. Seymour’s sudden 
approach to the very subject on their minds, and the aunt 
exclaimed, There, Mary, I told you so ! ” 

The ladies did free their minds ” immediately, and 
Mrs. Seymour begged to be excused for a few moments. 
She said it was a case involving nice points, and she 
wished to act cautiously ; that in cases of the kind, where 
the happiness of parties hung for life upon a decision 
which must be so soon made, she was in the habit of 
taking counsel of her ‘‘ heavenly Father,” and in her pri- 
vate oratory to approach him in prayer. She started from 
the room, and then suddenly returned, and said, “ Ladies, 
perhaps you would like to see a beautiful ^ iwie-dimj 
which I have in my oratory ; a beautiful present to me 
by the Duke of Argyle, when I was visiting Scotland, in 
honor of a successful clairvoyant discovery which, with 


THE SORCERESS' ERIE- DIE U, 


205 


the help of Almighty God, I was enabled to make for 
him.’^ 

The ladies followed her up to the little “ hall bedroom,’’ 
so customary in certain New York houses, and which was 
quite neatly fitted'up. There was the — a thing 

which these ladies had never seen, or indeed heard of be- 
fore. They asked “ Mrs. Seymour ” what it was for ; and 
she explained to them that it was a chair to pray in, and 
showed them how to kneel and sit, and where to put the 
prayer-book. 

Duly they withdrew, greatly edified by the pious, good 
lady’s conduct, while she tarried for a while to “ pray,” 
and came down at last to the parlor with a very saintly 
countenance on — quite ^‘illumined” in fact. She had 
been inspired with counsel how Mary was to proceed with 
her coming husband, in order to increase and secure for- 
ever his love. Mrs. Seymour had learned all she needed 
to know from Mary’s full confession, spiced with sugges- 
tions by the garrulous aunt. 

She had learned that Mary’s coming husband was very 
rich ; and she began by saying, that on entering into mar- 
ried life, any great disparities between the parties — in 
riches, age, accomplishments, etc. — were apt to prove 
disastrous in the end. The rich husband, for example, 
would taunt his poor wife sometimes with her poverty, 
and the young wife might throw the fact of age and in- 
firmity in the face of her old husband, or either accuse the 
other of ignorance. All these things would bring severe 
troubles in the end. But the greatest trouble frequently 
came from disparity in social position — where a man or 
woman of high station had married a partner of low sta- 
tion. In this case she was glad to see that this trouble 
would not exist. The parties were of equal rank in re- 
spectability and social surroundings. The husband’s great 
riches were the only thing to fear. Better marry a poor 
husband, and plod on with him, and make one’s own for- 
tune, than marry a rich man whose love might soon cool. 


206 now TO PRESERVE MATRIMONIAL LOVE, 


There would come a domestic hell between the parties : 
among low people, quarrelling, and ab)solute fighting, now 
and then ; among people of higher grade, a genteel indif- 
ference, — no ugly words, but cold, cruel demeanor, etc., — 
worse, a great deal, than actual physical violence through 
which the angry passions would exhaust themselves, and 
after which repentance and making up’’ were frequent. 
But in the other case,* — in the higher grade, — no such 
thing would occur as making up,” and the most luxuri- 
ant home would become a prison, or a grave rather, of the 
affections — a horrible life to lead, out of which there was 
no escape for parties who valued public opinion, or Avho, 
as in the case of a dependent wife, had no haven of peace 
to resort to, no means of support — and much more said 
Mrs. Seymour, in her grave, effective way. • 

So solemn was she that the timid, fearful Mary cried, 
and the old aunt became all of a tremor, and poured forth 
torrents of caressing words upon poor Mary. But Mrs. 
Seymour relieved their distress to great extent, by in- 
forming them that when at prayer, the dear Almighty 
God ” (to use her own expression) had favored her with 
a vision, which she had interpreted. There were many 
ways, she said, to preserve a husband’s or Avife’s love. 
All these Avays were Avell known to the scientific. They 
Avere ahvays effective, Avere these Amrious means, Avhen 
properly applied. She could have told them at once, with- 
out resorting to counsel Avith her heavenly Father,” o!‘ 
Avhat would probably be effective in this case ; but she 
Avas glad she had resorted to prayer first, because, although 
she Avould have taken very much the same course pointed 
out in^the vision, yet she might not have been so thorough 
in her counsel, and would not have felt such certainty or 
confidence in it. The ladies lifted up their hands again, 
and hung Avith confiding delight, and Avith believing smiles 
upon their faces, upon every Avord Mrs. Seymour uttered. 
She told them, that in answer to her prayer, she saw a 
group of angels descending from the ^•savens. They wore 


WHAT THE ANGELS WEAR. 


207 


bediitiful robes of various colors. Here she stopped to 
tell them that it was' a popular fallacy to suppose that the 
angels all wore white robes ; that such a uniform would 
be inconsistent with Nature’s usual course ; that the God 
of Nature loved variety, — infinite variety, — and there- 
fore he had exemplified it all through his works. The 
ladies were delighted with Mrs. Seymour’s eloquent words, 
and she Avent on to tell them that she saw these angels 
decorating each other with amulets, and souvenirs, and 
ornaments of all kinds, beautiful brilliants more dazzling*, 
than eartlily diamonds, etc., and she noticed that each 
ornament was blessed by a beautiful priestess before it was 
passed fromone angel to the other, and when the latter 
assumed it she observed that his or her face lighted up 
with a new and glorious expression of love for the gems ; 
that these angels were of apparently different degrees of 
age, Avhich suited Mary to hear, of course. 

Thus Mrs. Seymour went on with her pious rigmarole, 
which she managed, by her cunning imagination, to make 
very charming, and finally said that, though the vision Avas 
easy enough of interpretation, yet, in this case of great 
importance, she had prayed Tor an interpretation, and was 
at once impressed ” Avith this solution. It Avould be Avise 
for Mary, she said, to put off all care from her mind, from 
the present moment, with the belief that she should be 
happy Avith her husband, as Avould be the case if she fol- 
loAved the advice ; she Avould retain his love forever. Mar- 
ry him on the day , appointed, be cheerful and kind, and 
have no unpleasant forebodings, as she need have none, 
and then, as fast as she could collect together all valu- 
ables Avhich he had been in the habit of Avearing on his 
person, as ornaments, or carrying in his pocket, such as 
watches, jeAvelry of all kinds, especially of the rich kinds, 
such as diamonds, and all the money which he had actually 
handled (for it was necessary, she said, that he must have 
touched it, and it would not do for her to get a draft from 
him, and go to the bank and draAv it herself, unless she 


208 


THE MARRIAGE. 


should afterwards put it in his hands, and naively ask him 
to count it for her), — all these things sho was to get, and 
the more of them and the greater their value, the surer 
would bo t!io spell which was to be worked. These things, 
as she procured them, she was from time to time to bring 
to Utlrs. Seymour, who would operate witli lliem as in the 
vision directed. The lady would t’aen take them home 
and put them in a box, and tlien Mrs Seymour vrould visit 
her house and charm the whole box, which the lady would 
keej>, for a few weeks, as near herself as sho could all 
tlio while without inconvenience, and the spell wouM tlius 
bo worked. The ladies looked in wonder, and believed. 
Mrs. Poymour charged them f fty dollars for h»r counsel ; 
but the ladies not chancing to liave so much in their 
purses, she consented to take twenty-five then, and wait 
till r.fter the marriage, and when Mary should bring the 
first article to be charmed, for t’lo other twonty-fivo dol- 
lars. This was all fiir, and pleased t!:o Iad.es, who went 
away happy, it seem'-. 

The marriage took place. The old man having some 
estates in Canada, which needed looking after, made his 
bridal tour in the now Dominion of Canada ; and with Que- 
bec as his central point, travelled about the province for 
some three weeks, with his new -wife. 

lie wai very happy, and so was Mary. They returned’ 
to Xcw York duly, and in the course c.f a few weeks Mary, 

now Mrs. 2Iary , vidted Mrs. Seymour, with her first 

batcli ( f articles t ) bo charmed. These were a watch, 
a very elegant one, profusely ornamented wit’i di imonds, 
wliich hid belonged to the old gentleman’s former wife, 
but which Mrs. Mary had discovered that ho had some- 
times carried, and a large di immi 1 ring which he liad once 
worn, but which, on account of an injury to the finger 
which it fitted, he ha 1 lai I an'dc, with som3 trinkets of val- 
ue. Taking these to her “oratory.” .Mrs. Seymour protended 
to have charmed them, and then broug’it them back to Mrs. 
Mary, and told her to get a bes of suitable size, and place 


THE CHARMED BOX. 


209 


them in it, also the other things that she should bring, to 
get them charmed. While Mrs. Mary was consulting with 
her in regard to the box she' should get, Mrs. Seymour 
happened to think of one which she had, and which she 
would as lief give to Mrs. Mary as not, and she went to 
her side-board drawer and brought a little square-shaped 
enamelled 'papier-machS box, neat, but cheap ; she said this 
would do, and it could be sealed so easily when it should 
be filled. Mrs. Mary wished to pay her for it, but Mrs. 
Seymour would not allow her to do so ; and the box, with 
the watch, etc., in it, went off with Mrs. Mary, who had 
paid Mrsl Seymour the other twenty-five dollars. Mrs. 
Mary followed Mrs. Seymour’s counsels as speedily as she 
could, and was soon at the latter’s house with the other 
matters of jewelry, this time bringing a very valuable 
brooch, which was once the property of the former wife ; 
and Mrs. Mary had a piece of her own cunning to tell Mrs. 
Seymour. 

In order that the brooch might come under the rule of 
having been worn on the person of the husband, she had 
pinned it on to his night-shirt when he was asleep, and 
laid awake and watched it there for an hour or more. Mrs. 
Seymour rewarded this piece of stratagem with her au- 
gust approval, and told Mrs. Mary that it would do just as 
well to lay the things under his pillow, and if she found 
anything more which he had not worn, to put it there. 
She suggested that whole sets of silver spoons could be 
placed there at any time ] which was a happy thought for 
'Mrs. Mary, who wished to get all the value she could into 
the box, and she told Mrs. Seymour that there was in 
the house, but never used, a set of gold spoons, a pres- 
ent from some of her husband’s rich relatives. In time 
these were in the box. But to make the matter sure as 
to value, Mrs. Mary begged of her husband the sum of 
two thousand dollars one day, when he had sold a piece of 
real estate in Brooklyn, and realized some ten thousand 
dollars advance over cost. This money was charmed and 


14 


210 


MRS. SEYMOUR WANTED. 


put into the box, and finally Mrs. Seymour was slyly taken 
in a carriage to the house by Mrs. Mary, in order to put 
on the finishing stroke, and seal up the box. She took her 
wax and a peculiar seal with her ; and Mrs. Mary and she, 
being duly closeted, the box was nicely sealed up, with all 
the valuables in it, money and all, amounting to about five 
thousand dollars. Mrs. Seymour then wished to be left 
alone in the room for a few moments, while she prayed, 
and invoked a peculiar charm on the box. Mrs. Mary, of 
course, consented. Presently Mrs. Seymour came out of 
the room, handed her the box, and went with her to the bed- 
room to see it properly deposited in its hiding-place, — all 
this while the gentleman was growing better and better, 
kinder and kinder, to his wife ; and he was ‘‘ splendid ’’ to 
begin with, she said. But this increased affection was 
attributed to the charms. What would it not become if 
these remained near her there in the box for two months, 
as Mrs. Seymour directed ? 

After two months, Mrs. Seymour would call, if Mrs. 
Mary had no occasion to call her before, which she was to 
do, if her husband showed any signs of failing affection, 
and would then open the box for Mrs. Mary ; for it was 
necessary, as a part of the work, that she should open the 
box in such a way as not to break the spell. The two 
months went past, and Mrs. Seymour did not call. Mrs. 
Mary sent for her to come, but found that she had left that 
house — gone to Brooklyn to live, somewhere. She tried 
to hunt her up, but unavailingly ; at last, after some three 
months and a half had passed, she heard she was in Bos- 
ton, and Mrs. Mary made an errand on there, her indul- 
gent husband accompanying her, and there she privately 
sought for Mrs. Seymour. But she could not find her, 
and so let matters rest. But, eventually, her husband 
telling some relative visiting him, about the gold spoons, 
and seeking them to show him, failed to find them ; and 
Mrs. Mary got very nervous over it, and at last told him 
that they were not stolen, as he suspected, but where they 


A HOPELESS CASE. 


211 


were ; and after nluch mental struggle, told him how they 
came there. He was delighted with her great desire to 
preserve his love, for it was a most genuine case of deep 
affection on his part ; but he gently laughed at her, never- 
theless, and declared that Mrs. Seymour was a great cheat; 
that she had, by her chicanery, won the fifty dollars ; and 
she found you and your aunt such easy disciples,’^ said he, 
“ the great wonder is, that she did not abstract more money 
from you. But we’ll open the box now, and get the spoons, 
and you’ll do what you please with the rest ; ” and they 

opened the box, breaking the peculiar seals, and found 

nothing but a few small stones and bits of iron, done up 
in cotton-wool, to keep them from rattling, and weighing, 
perhaps, as much as the contents supposed to be there. 

. It was evident then to the old gentleman, that the wo- 
man must have brought a box with her on her last visit 
to the house, a fac-simile of the one which Mrs. Mary had 
filled with valuables and money. The things were of such 
a’ nature, that the old gentleman said it was of no use to 
try to hunt up Mrs. Seymour and get them back. She 
would deny all ; besides, there was the risk of his wife’s 
being exposed in her foolish credulity, and he wouldn’t 
have that known for ten times the value of the property 
lost, he said. So they agreed to let it pass. 

But the thing preyed on Mary’s mind. She wrote to 
her aunt, — who had then gone away, — a doleful story, 
and upbraided her partly for her connection in the matter. 
The poor old aunt was sadly affected, and insisted that 
some step ought to be taken to find' Mrs. Seymour, and to 
punish her ; and Mary felt so too, and talked about it till 
the old gentleman thought he would take some step about 
it, and he consulted me. I have devised some plans ; but 
they are good for nothing, and I’ve come over to tell you 
the funny story, and see what you think of it.” 

Such was the substance of the lawyer’s tale ; and we 
had a good laugh over it, and contrived together what 
might be done. I told him it was a hopeless case, pretty 


212 


WATCH ^^NO. 1230 ; 


much, unless we could find Mrs. Seymour, and these things 
in her possession, which it was absurd to expect, unless, 
by inquiring of the parties who suffered the loss, I could 
learn more about the tlpngs taken. We both resolved that 
the watch was too valuable to be destroyed, and there 
might be other things saved, and sold, perhaps, here and 
there. Accident might give a clew to the whereabouts 
of Mrs. Seymour and the things. 

The lawyer visited the parties, and got their consent to 
take me into the case, and I visited them — learned what 
things were taken ; examined the box, and found on it a 
peculiar mark, which I copied exactly ; and I also got an 
accurate description of the watch, with the maker’s name, 
the number of the watch, and so forth. This was a superb 
affair for a lady’s watch, and was worth, at least, with its 
chain and diamonds, eight hundred dollars. I concluded 
that it was not probably destroyed. It had perhaps been 
sold or pawned ; and I made close search in many jewelers’ 
establishments and pawn shops for it in New York, and 
not finding it, advertised for it in the Boston and Philar 
delphia papers, stating that the subscriber had such and 
such a watch, and would give a thousand dollars for its 
mate, No. 1230,” if in good condition, and added that it 
was known to be in this country. I signed ‘‘ Henry Ro- 
maine Brown, Agent for the Earl of Derby,” and made 
an address in Liverpool, England, and in New York. The 
object of this the reader can readily see. 1 soon got a 
letter from Baltimore, and in consequence found the watch. 
It had passed through several hands to the owner, the 
wife of a Mr. Hurlbut, a large merchant. He had an- 
swered the advertisement out of respect to the Earl of 
Derby(!), with no suspicion whatever that the watch had 
been stolen. Mr. Hurlbut required the property to be 
thoroughly proven as that of the old gentleman in New 
York, which it was fortunately easy to do, as the bill of it 
from the importing house had been saved. Still it was 
necessary to prove the theft, for it might have been sold j 


TRACKING THE SORCERESS. 


213 


and here was a chance for a lawsuit, which the New York 
man did not want. 

But Mr. Hurlbut was willing to advance some money, 
while h^ held on to the watch, to ferret out Mrs. Seymour. 

Perhafps she could settle the matter, or had some rela- 
tives who could,” he said. My client, too, took courage, 
and resolved to spend some money in the matter, and I 
went to work to find Mrs. Seymour. Meanwhile, through 
the peculiar mark on the bottom of the box, I managed 
to find out where Mrs. Seymour had purchased it, and 
learned, as I supposed before, that she had bought two on 
the same occasion ; and, fortunately, I found that she had, 
when selecting the boxes, occupied a good deal of time, 
giving the clerk a great deal of vexation, and he felt sure 
he should know her. Besides, she had offered a counter- 
feit bill in payment for them; and when informed that the 
bill was bad, had declared her surprise, and rummaged her 
purse for good money, without finding enough into twenty- 
five cents, which she said she would call and pay next 
day, and so was allowed to take away the boxes. So the 
clerk thought he should surely know her, although the 
lady did not call the next day. I tracked Mrs. Seymour 
from her place in Grand Street, where her sign still re- 
mained, and business was carried on by a younger medium, 
who assumed her name, and divided the spoils with her, 
probably, over to Brooklyn, down to Philadelphia, whore 
she sold the watch, and up to Boston. 

Brady, her husband, had gone the rounds with her. I 
searched every possible place in Boston, and engaged a 
detective there. 1 had been able to secure several photo- 
graphs of the woman, and of her husband, in New York; 
and with one of these, the Boston detective was able to 
make her out, he thought, one day. He followed the wo- 
man, and at last abandoned the game,” when he found 
that she was in company with people of high character, 
and entered with them one of the finest residences in Ver- 
non Street ; and^ moreover, was told by a servant of the 


214 


GOING DOWN TO NEW YORK. 


house that she was a Mrs. ^^Bradley^^ from Portland, Me. 
He concluded that he was mistaken. We finally learned 
Brady was not like Seymour,” an assumed name, and 
that the husband had wealthy relatives in Boston ; and 
then conceiving that the detective might not have been 
mistaken in supposing he recognized Mrs. Seymour,” we 
laid seige to the Vernon Street house, till we satisfied our- 
selves that “ Mrs. Bradley ” and Mrs. Seymour ” were 
one and the same. But how did she get there ? Boston 
is full of people, in high rank, who are spiritualists, and 
who keep mediums ” for themselves, and do not visit the 
advertising mediums, to be found there in such numbers, 
even to this day. 

We traced Brady out too, and found him a chief clerk in 
a house on Washington Street, in which his brother was a 
partner. My friend, the detective, made his acquaintance, 
and managed to learn from him that he was worth several 
thousand dollars. He had two building lots in New York, 
which he had bought for a song, some four years before, 
but which would be worth, he said, fifty thousand dollars 
in less than ten years. My friend, the' detective, wished 
to buy these, and they got on such good terms that Brady, 
in the course of a few days, accepted his invitation to “ go 
down to York,” on his, the detective’s, expense, and when 
there showed him the lots, and told him confidentially that 
they stood in his wife’s name, as he had failed in business 
some years before. 

We thought we had enough materials together to com- 
mence the attack, and my friend, the lawyer, managed to 
bring a suit in such a way that the building lots .were 
attached, and then wrote me at Boston to go ahead.” I 
proceeded at once to the house in Vernon Street, and in- 
quired for Mrs. Bradley. She had, meanwhile, moved her 
quarters to the residence of a distinguished clerical gen- 
tleman-in Hancock Street, whose wife was a spiritualist, 
and a medium ” besides. I called upon Mrs. Bradley there, 
md having a private glance ” with her as a medium/^ 


SWOONING IMPROPERLY. 


215 


until I thought I had studied her enough, told her that I 
was very much pleased with the communication she had 
brought me from my deceased wife ’’ (who was then liv- 
ing in New York, one of the healthiest and jolliest women 
in the land, and likely to live, perhaps, till the “ spirits 
are all dead) ; and that now I had a communication to 
make to her ; and that i did not wish to disturb her peace, 
or expose her conduct in life, and should not do so if she 
kept quiet. * She wanted to know “ what in the name of 
goodness ” I talked to her in that way for. I told her it 
wasn^t I that was talking, that I was only the medium 

through whom Mrs. Mary (using the full name now), 

of New York, was speaking, and that she had come to ask 
her what she did with that little charm box, and its con- 
tents, for which she substituted the box of stones and iron. 

Mrs. Bradley,’^ alias Seymour,’’ turned pale as a sheet, 
and tried to swoon. She was a little too quick in the play, 
and hadn’t declared, as her true r61e was, that she didn’t 
know what 1 meant ; so she waked up, and declared it ; and 
I told her to be tranquil ; that we had got the property all 
attached ; knew where the watch was, and had her prop- 
erly identified on the day she bought the two boxes at 
such and such a store. I looked her calmly in the eye 
while I said this ; and she was not at a loss to discover 
that I knew what I was saying. 

Now madam,” said I, “all that we want is, that you 
save us the trouble and time of a suit. We shall arrest 
you, and have you taken to New York, and tried crimi- 
nally, as well as prosecute the civil suit, unless you are 
willing to settle the matter quietly ; and I can’t give you 
any time. An officer is awaiting my call close by here ; ” 
(indeed, he was in the porch of the house at the time) “ and 
unless you are willing to get your bonnet and shawl, and 
accompany me at once to Mr. Brady, and settle this mat- 
ter, we will arrest you, and take you where you’ll be kept 
safe till we get a requisition for you from the governor of 

I^ew York.” 


216 


NOT TO BE TRAMPLED ON. 


“ Mrs. Seymour ’’ had had, as I kuew before, more or 
less to do with legal matters, and she saw the force of 
things at once. She accompanied me to the store where 
her husband was engaged, the officer following at a proper 
distance ; and I managed to cool the husband’s assumed 
wrath when I came to tell him of the charges against her, 
he asseverating her virtue and innocence in terms that sa- 
vored of Milesian profanity. 

Mr. Brady,” said I, I am glad to see a man so brave 
a champion of his wife ; but you are only making matters 
worse. She don’t deny the charges ; the property is un- 
der attachment, and the officer is at hand, and she will be 
arrested in less than five minutes ” (taking out my watch 
to look at the time), unless you cool down and come to 
terms. You, too, know all about the business, and would 
probably prefer to escape arrest also — wouldn’t you ? ” 

He looked at me for an instant, then at his wife, and 
said, — 

Well, I suppose we’ll have to give in for now; but 
I’ll carry the matter under protest, up to the United States 
Supreme Court before I’ll be trampled on.” 

This boast seemed to relieve him, and Ave all left the 
store and went to my friend’s, the detective’s, office on 
Tremont Street, where the preliminaries of a settlement 
were entered into. The watch we wanted back at any 
rate ; the rest of the jewelry was scattered here and there, 
only that Mrs. Seymour had preserved a nice string of 
pearls, worth some three hundred dollars. There was not 
much higgling ” over the estimate of value of the vari- 
ous articles, and the two thousand in money, of course, 
Avent in at its A^alue. In all, the bill footed up about thir- 
ty-six hundred and fifty dollars, besides five hundred — 
(Avhich Avas too little) — for the expenses we had been at. 
Suffice it that those building lots in New York changed 
hands soon after, in due legal form,” and that a thousand 
dollars in money besides left Brady’s pocket, and found 
its way where it could pay ‘‘ expenses,” etc, The building 


BOSTON’S SUPERSTITIONS. 


217 


lots have sold since for far more than Brady’s estimate of 
fifty thousand dollars in ten years.” The old gentleman 
and his wife Mary were delighted with my success : of 
course Mr. Hurlbut delivered up the watch for the price 
he paid for it, which it was proper he should ask, inas- 
much too, as Brady had given us the money, or its equiva- 
lent for it, and more too, and Mrs. Mary said she should 
carry it till her dying day, to ward off mediums and sor- 
cerers, as the Puritans nailed horse-shoes to door-posts 
as protection against witches ” ^ and I venture she’s faith- 
fully wearing it now for that purpose, and as a souvenir 
of the old gentleman, her good husband, who is now dead. 

I was so much pleased with the cunning and skilful 
address of Mrs. Seymour, that I cultivated her acquaint- 
ance, and by close study ” managed to learn a good deal 
of her art, and came to a knowledge of the great extent 
to which mediums are consulted by people of the first 
classes ; and was astonished to find how readily they fall, 
through the superstitious element in their composition, 
victims to the sorcerer’s arts. It would require volumes 
to cite the instances which occur yearly in New York city 
alone. Boston is not a whit behind in this, notwithstanding 
she boasts herself the Athens of America ; but, perhaps, 
she so boasts because she worships so many different idols 
— has as many gods as the Greek mythology embraced. 
In proportion to her population her dupes of superstition 
are more numerous than those of New York. 


THE DISHONEST CLERK, AND THE 
FATAL SLIP OF PAPER. 


IN AN UGLY MOOD WITH MYSELF — A VISIT FROM A CINCINNATIAN — A LOSS 
DETAILED — THE FATE OF A BANKING-HOUSE RESTING ON “COLLATER- 
ALS ” STOLEN, WHICH MUST BE RECOVERED — A LAWYER FIGURES IN THE 
MATTER AND IS BAFFLED — THE THIEVES SPECULATING FOR A SETTLE- 
MENT — THE SCHEME LAID FOR THEIR DETECTION — A BUSINESS VISIT TO 
THE BANKING-HOUSE — THE CHIEF CLERK SENT TO CHICAGO ON BUSI- 
NESS — A SEARCH REVEALING LOVE LETTERS, AND A LOVELY LITERARY 
LADY — ON TRACK OF MYSTERIOUS “ PAPERS ” — THE FATAL SLIP OF 
PAPER — THE WAY THE STOLEN BONDS WERE RECOVERED — THE CHIEF 
CLERK, AND HOW HE WAS “ENLIGHTENED” — A NOVEL AND QUIET 
ARREST IN A CARRIAGE — THE CLERK’s CONFEDERATE CAUGHT — THE 
PROPERTY RESTORED — THE SCA3IPS DECAMP — THE INNOCENT LITERARY 
lady’s eyes OPENED. 

¥ 

I WAS sitting in my office one day, meditating over a case ' 
I had had in hand to work up, for some four months, off and 
on. An hour before one of the parties interested in the 
matter, and who had furnished considerable money to 
press the investigation of the affair had left my office in a 
state of dissatisfaction, evident enough to me, although his 
interest compelled him to express in words his pleasure at 
the course I had taken, and his hope that my theory of the 
case would soon be worked into practical demonstration. 
But I fancied, nevertheless, that he had secretely resolved 
to abandon the matter, or to abandon me, and procure some 
one else to undertake the job ; and I was conjuring in my 
mind Avho this might be, whom he would secure to aid him ; 
and resolving myself into a happy state of mind that this 
point; namely, that he could find nobody who could or 


IN AN UGLY MOOD. 


219 


would for the like slight encouragement I had had, under, 
take the affair, and into a somewhat unhappy state of 
mind on this other point, namely, that I had been induced 
to enter upon the work upon too slight amount of facts, 
and accusing myself of stupidity in so doing, I had resolved 
that I would never undertake a like case, involving so 
much work, with such little probability of success, for 
there are some things which may baffle the oldest detec- 
tive^s skill as surely as the simplest peasant’s brain. I 
was in an ugly mood with myself, when there entered my 
offlce an excited looking man, who accosted me — ^^You 
are Mr. ?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“ The very man that worked up that case for Coe and 
Phillips, two years ago ? ” 

“ Yes, sir ; I suppose I am the man,” said I, emphasizing 
the article “ the ; ” “ but what of it, what if I did ? ” said I, in 
a mood which I was conscious was not very attractive, and 
Avitli a look, I suppose, not over-enticing, for the man 
“ hitched ” unpleasantly in his chair, and seemed confused. 
“ What of it ? Why do you ask ? ” 

He still looked disconcerted, but taking from his pocket 
a file of papers, carefully thumbed them over, and drew 
out from them a letter of introduction to me from Mr. Coe, 
in which Mr. Coe said that his friend had an affair on hand 
in which he thought I could serve him, and he had com- 
mended me to his friend. 

“ Ah, you are a friend of Mr. Coe ? Well, I see this note 
is dated over a month ago. Why have you delayed to 
bring it to me before?” 

“ 0, I’ll explain. I live in Cincinnati, and was here on 
business at the time, stopping at Mr. Coe’s. I told him my 
story, got this note from him, and intended to see you in a 
day or two ; but a telegram called me home,” — (or “ tele- 
graph message,” as he said, for this was before the 
days when some happy genius coined the felicitous word 
“ telegram ”), and I have come again on business; and SQ 
Imve brought the uote»” 


220 


BOUND TO HAVE ME, 


‘‘ Is it in Cincinnati tliat I must work, if I enter upon the 
matter you may have to relate to me ? ’’ 

Yes, sir, I suppose so ; in fact, yes, of course, for there 
the robbery was committed.’^ 

0, a robbery, eh? Well, I don’t think you had better 
tell me of it. It’s too far away, and I have enough to do 
here ; more than I wish I had of the kind which falls to my 
lot these days, and you ''can get detectives in Cincinnati 
who can afford to work for you cheaper than I could.” 

There you are mistaken,” said he ; I cannot get any 
detectives in Cincinnati who can do me any good. I tried 
the best, and they were baffled, and so I had told Mr. Coe 
when he recommended you.” 

I am greatly obliged to Mr. Coe for his good opinion, 
but your case is a desperate one, if the best detectives of 
Cincinnati have had it in hand ; and I suspect I could not 
do you the least good. You’ll waste your money, I fear.’* 

The man looked for an instant as if he were shot; and 
then, suddenly recovering himself, he exclaimed, with an 
energy and fierceness of purpose which pleased me, But, 
sir, something must be done, and we must spend all our 
ready money or go to the wall, at any rate ; things are 
getting complicated in our business, and we must fail 
in more than one way, if we do not succeed.” 

You say ^ we.’ Are there others involved besides 
yourself? ” 

Yes ; my partners, two of them.” 

^‘I see that Mr. Coe has not told me your business, 
merely calling you his ‘ friend.’ ” 

Yes, I suppose he thought best to let me*tffll you my 
whole story myself ; and I would like to do that, although 
you seem unwilling, sir.” 

I smiled, and said, 0, no, sir, not unwilling, for it is my 
business to listen to all such things ; but you found me in a 
grum mood when you came. Have you never passed days 
in which you wished you were out of your present busi- 
ness, and in some other that you envied,” 


DETAILING THE CASE. 


221 


“ Yes, yes,'^ said he excitedly ; and of late IVe wished so 
aj the while, for reasons I shall give you.’’ 

Well, go on with your story, I am a good listener.” 

The whole matter is in a nutshell,” said he, ‘‘ so far as 
the crime committed is concerned, and I’ll tell you that first. 
We are bankers, and have lost out of our safe ten thou- 
sand dollars in money, and negotiable paper, securities, 
collaterals, and the like for over thirty thousand more. 
We have obligations maturing ; some have matured already, 
and we have been pinched to meet them, and the rest we 
cannot meet without these securities ; ” and then he went 
on to tell me when the loss Avas discoA^ered, etc. 

W ell,” I broke in, a little impatiently, if you have lost 
those papers, Avhat do you propose ? To find them ? ” 

Yes, to get them back ; that’s Avhat Ave AA^ant. The 
money has gone, of course, — Ave don’t expect that or any 
part of it, — but Ave must have the papers — the collaterals ; 
and here I must tell you, that about a Aveek after our 
loss Ave received a note from a laAvyer in Cincinnati, saying 
that he had been visited b}^ parties claiming to reside in 
Kentucky, asking him to communicate Avith us, and saying 
that they Avere ready to deliver up ^ those papers,’ Avhich 
they kneAv to be valuable to us, upon our coming to the 
terms Avhich they left Avith him to communicate to us orally ; 
that he did not knoAV Avhether the story was all a hoax or 
not, but if Ave knoAV Avhat it meant, Ave might call on him, 
and he Avould narrate the rest. I hurried to see him on 
receipt of note. He Avas a stranger to me personally, but 
I kneAv him by repute as a laAvyer of fair standing, and a 
man of good social status. When he came to tell me the 
offer Avhich these parties made, Avhich Avas to deliver up the 
papers through their attorney — himself — for fifty per 
cent, of their face value (for at this point I had only told 
him that I kneAV Avhat the parties meant, and had come to 
hear their offer), I asked, ^ Ho you know for Avhom you 
are dealing ? Ho you knoAv hoAV these papers came into 
the possession of the parties ? ’ ” 


222 


DETAILING THE CASE. 


No ; I know nothing of them, more than I tell you. 
But explain to me how the papers came into their 
possession.” 

By robbery,” said I ; “ those parties are burglars or 
worse.” 

Robbery ! ” he exclaimed, and the villains wished to 
make me a middle-man in the transaction ! Tell me all 
about it, and well see if we can’t turn the game upon 
them. Consider me your attorney ; it shall cost you noth- 
ing, — the scoundrels ! ” — and he brought his fist down 
upon his table with a blow that made it quiver. If I’ve 
got to that pass,” said he, that scoundrels dare approach 
me in this way, it is time I give myself a close examination, 
and reform, if need be. Please to tell me all about the 
affair.” 

told him the facts of our loss, and our situation ; how the 
money and papers must have been taken out of our safe by 
some one who had obtained knowledge of the numbers of 
the permutation lock ; and he asked at once, as you will do, 
about the clerks, my partners, and so forth, and said some 
one of them was the villain. But no matter for this now. 
We laid plans which failed; and he concluded that after 
all, ifrmust be the work of some one in the office, but how 
to catch him, was the question ; and I cannot think that 
any of my partners or my clerks is the man, for we have 
exhausted all schemes in trying to fix the crime on any of 
them, and failed signally.” 

Well, is that all you’ve got to tell me ? ” 

No ; I’ve not told you my story yet but in part. 
When shall I begin again ? ” 

“When you please; but first tell me, perhaps, about 
your partners, and your clerks, each by himself; ‘who 
he is, how long he has been with you, and what his age, 
his habits, — all about him.” 

So Mr. Redfield — (the reader understands always that 
assumed names are given in these narratives, where there 
exists a proper reason for so doing) — Mr, Redfield, as w« 


PROFESSIONAL PRIDE PIQUED. 


223 


will call him, went into a minute description of the men, 
each by himself, and I confess I was baffled. I said to 
him that it must be that some one of those was the guilty 
party, yet that nothing he had told me would allow me to 
suspect one of them for a moment ; that my impression of 
the guilt of one of them was solely the result of the com- 
mon-sense reflection that somebody who understood the 
safe-lock, with its numbers, must be the man who took the 
money and papers : that was all. And in fact I suppose it 
was, because the case at this point became so desperate, 
or difficult of solution, that I undertook it all; for if I 
could have hit upon some expedient which would seem to 
me likely to work out the problem, I should, in my state 
of mind at the time, have given Mr. Eedfield the advan- 
tage of it, for a small counsel fee at most, and declined to 
go on; but it was just enough unsolvable at this point to 
vex me, and pique my pride. 1 did not wonder that the 
best detectives in Cincinnati had failed, for I could easily 
see that the scoundrels had only to keep these papers hid 
in some unsearchable spot, and exercise ordinary care — 
indeed be quite careless — and never be found out, unless 
their greed should at last betray them. 

It was evident to me, from what Mr. Eedfield said, that 
the parties had become suspicious of the lawyer they vis- 
ited, for some reason; for they never visited him again, " 
and neglected to answer a rather ingenious advertisement 
that he published in one of the papers. But they had 
again managed to communicate with Mr. Eedfield, and 
repeated their offer ; and had sent him the form of an 
advertisement to put in the paper, if he concluded to 
accept. But he delayed beyond the day they named, 
unwilling to accept, and still hopeful of detecting the vil- 
lains, and getting back the full papers for nothing; and 
thinking better of it, a day or two after, he had pub- 
lished the advertisement, but they had not regarded it ; 
probably, as I judged, because they thought he had laid 
some plan to trap them. So when he went, armed to 


2^4 


A TO STUDY THE CLERKS. 


the teeth/’ he said, out to a lonely place, as indicated in 
their letter, about five miles, to meet somebody, there 
to make further arrangements, nobody came. 

They were very wary then, and it was evident that they 
would, as they threatened in their note, — for the writer 
represented that there were two of them, — destroy the 
papers unless they got their price for them, and in a 
manner, too, secure to themselves. They could afford,” 
— the wretches ! — to lose the papers, for they had made 
ten thousand dollars in money, at any rate, they kindly 
wrote. 

I insisted that this mode of proceeding on their part 
indicated an acquaintance with the bankers’ business, — 
showed that they knew the great value of these papers to 
the firm, — and that this was a further reason for suspect- 
ing some one in the office. But Mr. Redfield persisted in 
believing that the Cincinnati detective had settled that 
point against my opinion. 

Well, it was agreed that I should go on and take my 
own way to work up the matter, and Mr. Redfield left. 
I followed him in a day or two, with my first plans 
matured, and with all such implements, clothes, etc., for 
disguises which I thought 1 might need, and met him at a 
place appointed. My first course was to go into the bank- 
ing office, with papers in hand of business to be done with 
the chief, Mr. Redfield ; to be delayed there with him talk- 
ing a long while over the matter of loans on some Western 
lands, and to engage his assistance in raising capital for a 
manufacturing concern to be established at Minneapolis, 
Minnesota. His partners were to be kept profoundly igno- 
rant of my real character, and one of them was to be called 
into our conference regarding the lands, etc., whenever I 
indicated. This was the plan I made for getting a chance 
to slyly study the clerks and the younger partner — for it 
was out of the question that the older partner could be 
engaged in the theft. 

1 went to the banking-house as arranged, called for Mr. 

20 ^ 


BEGUILING A PARTNER. 


225 


Kedfield, gave him my name ; made his acquaintance/^ 
etc., rather rapidly ; and while I was doing so, cast a list- 
less glance around me, and chanced to find the chief clerk’s 
eyes staring at me in a manner not merely of ordinary 
curiosity. There was a gleam in them which I did not 
like, and in an instant I changed our plan of operations, 
and said, “ Mr. Redfield, can’t I see you in private ? ” — 
taking an easy-going look about the room, and not neglect- 
ing to take in the clerk in the sweep of my eye. He was 
writing, and there was a nervousness about the shoulders, 
a flush in the face, and his lips seemed much compressed. 

Guilt there,” said I to myself, as Mr. Redfield stepped 
into the private room. 

The door was closed by Mr. R , who asked, ‘‘ Why 

do you change the programme ? What have you seen ? ” 

‘‘Enough,” said I; “and now the question is how well 
can you play your part ? I know that a man in your office 
is the guilty party.” 

Mr. Redfield looked a little astounded at my rapid oper- 
ations, and replied, “ Well, you are to work up the case 
according to your own methods ; but you surprise me.” 

“ Well,” said I, “ let me alone, then ; let’s talk up the 
Western lands, etc. ; ” and we did — I laughing outright, 
immoderately at times, telling Mr. Redfield a story or two, 
which made him laugh in real earnest; and after we’d 
fixed up a plan, he went out smiling, asked his older parb 
ner to come in to see me, saying, “ He’s the queerest spec- 
ulator I ever saw; come in, and see if we can do anything 
for him.” And the man came in. We talked, could not 
get near a bargain, and I finally left the bank, saying to 
Mr. Redfield that I’d “write in a week or so; perhaps 
they’d think better of the ofter.” 

I was not at a loss to see, by the clerk’s countenance 
and manner as I went out, that he was at ease again — 
which was all I wanted to then effect. 

Mr. Redfield and I met that night in a place appointed. 
He told me they’d had much fun in the office over the 


16 


226 


A SERIOUS CONVERSATION. 


queer speculator/^ and that his partner had no suspicion 
of my real business at all ; and we entered into a serious 
conversation. I told him that the chief clerk was the 
guilty man in my opinion, and that I should proceed upon 
that theory, and pursue it till forced to give up in that 
direction, and then drop the matter ; that there was no use 
of attempting anything without the clerk in the programme. 

We talked over the matter, and I learned where the 
clerk kept his private rooms — for he boarded at a hotel, 
and roomed in a block of business offices and dormitories ; 
and what at first surprised me was to learn that he had 
left much better rooms within a month or so, since the 
robbery, and taken up with poorer ones. Mr. Redfield 
could give me no information as to his habits, save what 
he judged and what the detectives had reported — all good. 
But somehow I suspected that there must be a woman 
involved in some way — a mistress, perhaps, whose extrav- 
agance had led astray the clerk, whom we will call Childs, 
to need more money than he could legitimately make. 
So I told Mr. Redfield that we must search Childs’s room 
and private papers, if he had any ; and it was arranged 
that Childs should be sent on business to Cliicago for two 
or three days. Mr. Redfield had no difficulty in arranging 
that, and Childs departed, highly honored with his chief’s 
confidence. 

We managed without much trouble to get into Childs’s 
room, where everything but his trunks were first searched, 
— uot excepting the minutest scraps of letters in a waste- 
basket, — where I found evidences of female correspon- 
dence. Further search among some books, on a little 
shelf at the top of a clothes-press or closet,” revealed some 
more in the same handwriting — sweet little Ullets-douXj 
longer letters, etc., — all passionate, very, — sometimes 
complaining, etc. 

None of these had envelopes, and I therefore judged that 
they were written in the city, and sent through the post 
office, and that Childs probably always, at once, destroyed 


A LITERARY GIRL. 


227 


the envelopes. I should say that none, except some evi- 
dently old ones, had envelopes. There was no date or 
place, save My little roora,^’ — Our dear boudoir,” or 
something like that, — and sometimes a further day, — 
Thursday Morning,” — Monday Evening.” It was evi- 
dent to me that the charmer lived in the city somewhere ; 
and I had already made up my mind that she must be 
tracked out as the first step, when, turning over a letter 
from this female, the rich, passionate, burning language of 
which, well-expresssd, had led me on, I came to the con- 
clusion, and found — “I have not received pay yet for that 

article. R must not think that he can n,eglect me as 

he did Hattie ; I will be paid lor what I write — something, 
at least. I guess we shall have to visit him together ; ” 
and with very affectionate words of parting, tlie letter 
closed. And then came a P. S. Every day I grow 
more uneasy about those papers. I wish you would take 
them away. What if I should suddenly die, and they 
should be found with me? You said they were very valu- 
able — and you may lose them. I should regret that. 
Come to-night, dearest.” 

Ah, ha ! here was a literary lady, — a contributor to the 
story or other papers, — wrote a good hand, and in good 
style of composition ; was evidently on loving terms with 
Childs. I was in doubt whether mistress or only ardent 
lover; could not tell that till I should see her, if then. 
She must be seen. How to find her? Easy enough, per- 
haps, but maybe not. We left Mr. Childs’s room in good 
order, and separated for the night, I giving Mr. Redfield 
no more insight into the modes I intended to pursue next 
day than necessary. 

The next morning I started for the newspaper offices 
with a portion of one of the letters I had found, made a 
proper story of wishing to engage the literary services of 
the writer of the letter if I could find her, but that I 
knew not her name ; as her friend, who had given me the 
portion of the letter to show her style, and had not yet 


228 


GETTING HER ADDRESS. 


given me her name, had been called off to New York by 
telegraph, I found, — wanted to find her that day. 

At the first office I entered nobody could tell me any- 
thing. But on entering the second one, and finding the 
associate editor, and asking him if he recognized that writ- 
ing, he looked up and smiled, as if he thought I had a joke 
for him. 

I guess I do,^’ said he. 

Well,” said I, there’s a dispute about it.” 

Let’s see,” said he, in a hasty, nervous way, snatching 
it from my hand, and glancing at it again. No dispute 

about it; that’s our ” (using her nom de plume, 

which I won’t repeat, as she is probably living, and many 
old friends might recognize her in this tale, and learn more 
than they are entitled to know). 

Where can I find her ? ” said I ; I want to see her 
about some writing.” 

All right,” said he, making some marks on a paper, 
which I found to be name of street and number of house. 

There’s where she was the last I knew of her, two months 
ago. I think you can find her through that.” 

^AVould you give me a note to her, as I am a stranger?” 

Why yes, such as I could. I don’t know your name ; 
but stay — no,” said he ; “ give me that paper again ; ” 
and taking it, he put his initials to it, and the name of 
office and date of day. “ That will be enough — good as a 
more formal note,” said he ; and he caught up his pen, and 
proceeded as if something was on his mind. You must 
excuse me, sir ; I have a great deal to do to-day. Can I 
assist you any further now ? ” 

I replied, No ; I thank you for your courtesy ; ” and 
bowed myself out. 1 was as confident now that I should 
trap Childs as if the thing was done ; but there were two 
of them, and they must both be caught. Childs could not 
be carrying on this correspondence with the lawyer and 
writing to Mr. Redfield, that was patent. I would watch 
Childs that night, and see if he went to the lady’s resfi 


A MEAN BOAST, 


229 


dence. He did go, and as they took a walk out, I saw her, 
— got a good view of her face, and made up my mind that 
she was innocent of any intelligent complicity in the mat- 
ter. I liked her looks very much. She was one of those 
impulsive, earnest creatures, who, when they love, love 
desperately, but who know not how to hate, as some 
women know, who also know how to love intensely, — a 
miserable class of women, in my opinion, although novel- 
ists love to paint them, and these women themselves are 
ever boastful of their twofold power of love and hate, — 
a mean boast of a mean character of soul. I saw that 
she loved Childs, and I was sure she respected him, and 
what I should do 1 knew not exactly ; but following them 
in their walk and back, and waiting till he left her, and 
went on his way to his office, had given me much time to 
think, and I had resolved upon a course which I thought 
the next day would see consummated ; when, returning to 
my quarters, I found a note from Mr. Eedfield, begging me 
to meet him at a certain place that night, — by no means to 
sleep without seeing him. He would be there at such an 
hour, and at such other hours till he met me. Something 
important had happened. 

I sought Mr. Redfield as requested ; found that he liad 
that afternoon received a note from the parties, again 
requesting him to meet them, or one of them, next day, at a 
place near Covington, Kentucky, and to come prepared to 
“ take up the papers, according to our offer,’’ in the after- 
noon, at six of the next day. Mr. R was greatly excit- 

ed; said that this was their ^Hast call,” as they expressed 
it ; that the papers would then be destroyed ; “ and that 
will be the last of our house,” he tremblingly muttered. 

I had been looking the letter over carefully meanwhile, 
not at all disturbed, for I felt that Childs would not long 
be out of our hands, when I chanced to reflect that the 
paper on which it was written was like some of that on 
which the lady’s letters to Childs were written ; and I said 
to myself, probably he has supplied himself and her some 


" 230 


A QtJESTtOl^ABLn STHA TEGEM. 


time with the same hind of paper ; but this is not his or 
her handwriting. “ No, she’s innocent/’ I muttered to my- 
self ; I am satisfied of that ; ” but the paper Avas like, and 
that, though a slight thing, helped to steady me in my 
"opinion of his guilt. I handed the letter to Mr. Redfield 
to replace, — he having taken it from the envelope before 
giving it to me, — Avhen, placing it back, a «mall slip fell 
out of the envelope as he turned it upside down. 

What’s this?” said I, as I picked it up; -‘we must scan 
everything.” 

It Avas a narrow strip, and on it Avas Avritten, ^‘My dear- 
est A .” (It Avas the lady’s name, as it proved.) I Avas 

astounded, for I had seen Childs’s Avriting, and this Avaa 
like it for all the Avorld. It Avas his, indeed — so Mr. Red- 
field decided. But Iioav came it in there ? When Mr. Red- 
field opened his letter it had not fallen out. He had cut 
the end of the envelope. I took the envelope, and round- 
ing it out, peered in, and satisfied myself, from its shape, 
that the Avriter had done Avhat I frequently do, Avith the 
old-fashioned envelopes especially, — put in a piece of paper 
to keep the gluten from sticking to the letter, as it Avill, 
Avhen wet and sealed, in many kinds of envelopes. In 
handling the envelope, and opening it a little to put back 
the contents, this paper, if stuck at all, had chipped off'.” 
But hoAv came the address there in Childs’s , hand ? Either 
the letter had been Avritten in a poorly-lighted place, or a 
careless or drunken confederate had slipped the strip Ave 
found into the letter, Avithout noting both sides. But 
really lioio it came there I did not care — it Avas there. 

Mr. Redfield,” said I, “ that clerk’s game is up. Give 
me the letter ; ask no questions, but to-morroAV morning, 
as soon as he comes in, make occasion to send him off on 
business which shall detain him till into the afternoon, if 
you can ; or provide business for him here that shall occu- 
py him beyond noon-time. Better send him out of town. 
I Avant to get over to-rnorroAv noon.” 

Mr. Redfield said that fortunately he could send him 


A QUESTIONABLE STEATEGEM. - 


231 


out of town to see parties about a mortgage, and he would 
send somebody along with him, — his servant, — and tell 
him to be sure to not get in before two or three. The 
boy will do what I say, and ask no questions and tell no 
tales. My word is law with him, and Childs will have to 
walk back twelve miles, or hire somebody to bring him 
in, for the boy won’t come till I tell him to.” 

Next morning I was up betimes. Childs was out early 
before going to the ofiSce, taking a morning walk with 
his lady. He carried no bundle away from there, and I 
tracked him to the office. I felt safe now : and now for 
the final work, I thought, for I was sure that Redfield 
would pack off Childs duly, and the coast would be clear. 
I had gotten possession of the lady’s name meanwhile, 
and proceeded to her boarding-place, called for her, intro- 
duced myself, talked with her about literary matters in 
my own way, not at great length, and was delighted with 
the innocence of the girl. I had formed no fixed mode of 
procedure when I entered the house, but I was resolved 
to wait till I saw her, and the longer I talked with her the 
more convinced was I that she was innocent and artless, and 
that a pretty direct way was the best to approach her by. 

So I said, Well, you’ll pardon me. Miss , but Mr. 

Childs told me I would be pleased ^to chat with you, and I 
have — ” 

What ! you know Mr. Childs ? He’s always saying 
flattering things of me.” 

0, is he? Well, perhaps he didn’t say anything 
especial to me, then ; but I was going to say that I called 
on business. He’s going out of town to-day, and he had 
to start earlier than he expected ; just gone ; wasn’t going 
till afternoon — ” 

“ Yes, he told me he was going over to Covington ia 
the afternoon,” she broke in. 

Yes,” said I, and he said that he wanted you to give 
me those papers ; said you’d understand what he meant. 
I am to meet him, and this, he said, would be enough 


232 


THE PACKAGE. 


word for you ” (handing her the slip of paper, My dearest 

A .’) He was in haste. She took it, blushed, and said. 

Yes, this is his writing. He writes nicely — doesn’t 
he ? Excuse me, I will be gone but a moment,” and she 
hied up stairs to her room, as unsuspecting as a dove. I 
was surprised at the success of my simple stratagem, but 
I had others behind it, which would have worked had that 
failed. She came down stairs, bringing a nicely sealed 
package. 

^^That is what he wants,” said she. You will be 
careful of it, of course, or he would not have sent you. 
You are his friend — a mysterious man I’ve heard him 
speak of ; and I must tell you,” she said, laughing heartily, 
that I’ve told him I did not like that friend very well, 
keeping him away from me so much.” 

“ 0,” said I, no harm I hope. Men have their business 
arrangements together, — their speculations, — and can’t 
always be as gallant as they would.” 

0, I know it,” said she. I don’t complain. I was 
only joking him.” 

It was evident to me that that woman had not the re- 
motest thought of Childs’s being aught than as noble and 
pure as she ; and as I took the package, folded it in a news- 
paper, and left the house, I felt for her to the bottom of 
my heart, so much so, that I at first resolved to not tell 
Redfield how I had obtained the package, but to give 
him up the papers, tell him to dismiss the clerk, get my 
pay, and leave ; for I thought it would break her heart to 
find Childs so great a scoundrel ; that perhaps he, finding 
himself foiled, would never be guilty of a crime again ; 
would seek some other spot, reform, and marry her, and 
make her ever happy. 

These thoughts I revolved in my mind as I passed on 
to my lodgings, and when I got there I opened the pack- 
age. Lo ! all the papers, so far as I could judge, and 
something more, — a letter or two, in a scrawly hand, with 
some rude drawings of roads, a sort of diagram, on a 
30 


A FAITAFUL SERVANT, 


233 


page of one of them. I deciphered the letters, and found 
that Childs’s correspondent spoke, in one of them, of that 

little fool of yours,” evidently meaning Miss A ; and 

said something else, which 1 knew he would never have 
said had not Childs given him occasion. In short, I saw 
that Childs’s respect for her was feigned ; that he was 
only fooling her, and my mind changed towards him ; be- 
sides, there was his confederate, and we must have them 
both. I hurriedly repacked the papers, proceeded to th5 
bank, called Mr. Redfield into the private room, and showed 
him what I had got. He was confounded, of course. I 
said, What shall we do with them ? ” 

“ Seal them, and put them in the safe for to-day. I want 
to arrest that villain Childs now,’' said he, “ for I understand 
how you’ve come by these. We’ve no time to lose.” 

We went out after sealing the papers, and leaving them 
in the safe, properly marked with my name — a deposit. 
As soon as we got out of the office we made our plan. It 
was to take an officer, ride out on the road on which 
Childs had gone, and wait for his return. But this would 
take too long. No, we’d ride right to the place he had 
gone to, all of us. We found the officer, took a two-horse 
carriage, and were on our way very shortly — drove to 
where Childs was. 

How do you do, Mr. Redfield ? ” said Childs, surprised 
to see him. “ Couldn’t you trust me to do the business? 
And so you’ve come out ? Ha ! ha ! ” 

No,” said Mr. Redfield ; “ some friends of mine wanted 
to take a ride, and I thought I might as well ride this way 
as any. Getting on well with the business? ” 

“ Yes,” said he, “ all finished ; but I couldn’t find that 
boy of yours. He’s gone off somewhere, and there’s a 
part of the harness gone. Gone to get it mended, I sus- 
pect, for coming out here he said it was weak in places.” 

I gave Mr. R a wink, and said, quietly, That boy 

would make a good operator — wouldn’t he ? ” 

He’ll do his duty,” said he. 




THE ARREST OF MR. CHILES. 


Well, lie won't be back yet ” said Mr. Redfield to Mi. 
Childs. “ Get in here, and we’ll all take a short ride. Mr. 
Wilson,” said Mr. Redfield, yon proposed to ride on the 
front seat when we returned ; perhaps you’d like to now ? ” 
Yes, I would,” said I. 

Well, please get out, and let Mr. Childs take your 
place. Mr. Childs, these are Mr. Wilson and Mr. French, 
friends t)f mine, looking about Cincinnati for speculation.” 

I got out, Childs *took my seat in back, under the car- 
riage top — a sort of half buggy and half coach. The offi- 
cer was considerably disguised, (because he thought he 
knew Childs, and that the latter knew him), with a pair of 
blue shaded glasses and false grayish whiskers and hair. 

We chatted on together, rode off a mile or two, when 
Mr. Redfield said he guessed we’d return, and leave word 
at that place for the boy to come as soon as he got his 
harness mended. And you can ride back with us, Childs,” 
said Mr. R . 

Childs expressed his pleasure to do so. We returned 
to the place, left the boy, and proceeded on a mile or two, 
telling stories, looking at the land, etc., when Mr. Redfield 
gave me a touch with his elbow, and looked into my eyes, 
as much as to ask, “Shall we not arrest him now?” I 
gave the proper sign, and Mr. Redfield, stopping the 
horses, turned deliberately around, and said, “ Mr. French 
is an officer of the law, Mr. Childs, and would like to have 
you give yourself up without any fuss about it — wouldn’t 
you, Mr. French? Do your duty.” 

“ Yes, Mr. Childs, I am sorry to disturb the pleasure of 
such a ride as we’ve had, but it is my duty to arrest you.” 

Childs was overcome with surprise, and said, “Yes, he 
would give himself up, but he didn’t know what for — 
anything to oblige Mr. Redfield,” and he gave himself up, 
and the officer thought best to handcuff him, at which 
Childs turned very pale, with mingled anger and fri ght. 

“ Now, Childs,” said Redfield, “ since you are secure, 
and the papers are all back in the safe, and 3"our lady, 


A bnPARTxrnE, 


235 


Miss A— — (for Redfield knew I must have gotten the 
papers from her in some way), has turned upon you, 
you've nothing to do but make a clean breast of it. We 
want your confederate, and you must help us to take him, 
or suffer alone. If you wish to escape, you must turn 
state’s evidence — that’s all. He probably has put you 
up to crime. You are not too old to reform, and may be 
allowed to go, and suffer nothing but the penalty of dis- 
missal from our office j but you’ll have to return the 
money you took, for I ‘find that you are regarded worth 
considerable property, and I presume your confederate is/’ 

Childs was so utterly taken aback that he had not a par- 
ticle of courage or address left. He consented to every- 
thing we demanded, and said he would write to his friend 
whom he was to meet at Covington that night, but for 
some reason he could not come, and ask him to come over 
at night or next day to Cincinnati. When we got into 
the city, Childs was taken to a private room by the officer, 
who had taken off his manacles, and then manacled him 
again after writing the note, and telling us where to find 
his messenger. 

The man came over, and was under arrest before he 
had time to think, and was taken to another place, and 
told that Childs had turned state’s evidence. 

“ I always thought Childs was shaky,” said the fellow, 
evidently not quite so subdued as he might be ; but we 
threatened him with the extreme ends of the law, and he 
agreed to get money, and see that the bankers were paid 
back all that had been taken if Childs would do his part, 
and to clear out “ down the river ” (meaning to N. 0.), and 
leave Cincinnati together. It appeared that he had done 
the work of the robbery, Childs having provided him 
with a key, of which he had procured a counterfeit, and 
having told him of the changes of the lock, and selected a 
time when there was a good amount of money in the safe. 
He said he could “ work ” better alone than with Childs. 

I needn’t lengthen out the story, except to say that Mr, 


236 


A NOBLE LADY, 


Redfield got back all the money too, and enough besides 
to pay him and me for all our trouble ; that Childs and his 
friend left for parts unknown, for Mr. Redfield said it would 
hurt his bank, shake faith in it so much, to prosecute the 
rascals, and expose the alfair, or it would gratify him other- 
wise to punish them : on the whole he would let them go. 

I took care that Childs had no opportunity to see Miss 

A before his departure, or even to write her, I think; 

and as I spent two or three days more in Cincinnati, 1 
thought, on reflection, she ought to know the facts, and in 
fci delicate way got opportunity to disclose them to her, 
for which the innocent, sensible lady expressed her grati- 
tude in tears. Sho felt that she had escaped a villain’s 
clutches ; confessed her ardoiit love for him, but told me 
that sometimes she felt as if there was something bad in 
his nature ; that he had given her much pain from time to 
time ; and though they were engaged, she sometimes had 
thought he did not intend to marry ; and now she could see 
that he had, at times, taken advantage of her love to re- 
quire her to do things for him quite disagreeable. 

Why,” she exclaimed, “ if I had known that package 
contained stolen things, I could not have slept in tlie room 
with it. He said they were private business papers of 
his, and he did not wish to ask to have them put in the 
bank safe, and thought they would be more secure with 
me than at his rooms, for everybody could get in there in 
his absence who liked ; so I was glad to oblige him, of 
course.” 

But my conversation with this lady need not be detailed. 
She was not informed how the slip, with M}^ dearest 

A ” on it, came into my hands. Probably it did not 

then occur to her to ask. If her eye happens to light 
on this article, she will now come at last to know how. 


THE THOUSAND DOLLAR LESSON 


CHARLES PURVIS : TAKING HIM IN CHARGE AT A DISTANCE — HANGERS QN 
AT THE ST^ NICHOLAS AND OTHER HOTEL ENTRANCES — A COLLOQUT, 
SPICED WITH REMINISCENCES OF “ OLD SAM COLT,” OF THE “ RE- 
VOLVER,” IN HIS GAY DAYS ; A PARTY AT THE “ OLD CITY irOTEL,” HART- 
FORD, CONN., AND OTHER THINGS — TRINITY COLLBOE BOYS — “ GEORGE 
ELLSWORTH” — PURVIS AND HE START ON A WALK — “WHERE CAN 
THEY BE GOING?” — GOING TO SEE ELLSAVORTIl’s “ FRIEND ” — AN 
EXCHANGE OF COATS — A SURVEY TAKEN — A FIRST-CLASS GAMBLING 
SALOON — A NEW MAN IN THE GAME — PURVIS DRUGGED — HIS 
“friends” take him “home,” but where? — PURVIS IS RE- 
TURNED TO HIS HOTEL IN A STATE OF STUPEFACTION; IS AROUSED; 
MISSES A THOUSAND DOLLARS — PLANS LAID TO CATCH HIS LATE 

FRIENDS WILLIAMS FOUND BY ACCIDENT, AND QUIETLY CAGED — 

THE OLD IRISH WOMAN’S APPEAL — WILLIAMS “EXPLAINS,” AFTER 
PROPER INDUCEMENT — MOST OF THE MONEY RECOVERED — SUPPLE- 
MENTS. 

I HAD just returned from a trip to. Detroit, and failing 
to find my chief partner in town, strolled up to the St. 
Nicholas Hotel one night, in July, 1863, and while saunter- 
ing about there, came across a gentleman whom I had, a 
few days before, remarked in the cars, on the Shore Line 
Road. He got on board at Painesville, Ohio, and by sundry 
peculiarities of his dress, which was a particle flashy,’’ 
but still neat and elegant, he attracted my attention. I 
was at a loss where to place, or how to classify him. Some- 
times I took him for a merchant, then I thought he might 
be a lawyer, and again a young man of wealth and leisure. 
Suffice it, I allowed myself to study him — I know not why 
— so much that I Avas not likely to forget him. 

Among the first persons I chanced to come across that 
day at the St. Nicholas, was this young man, and curiosity 


238 


MR. PURVIS. 


led me to learn from the bookkeeper his name, which I 
found to be Charles Purvis, of Louisville, Kentucky. 

Purvis I said to myself, ‘^Purvis? The name is 
familiar, but where have I known anybody bearing it?'^ 
and so I cudgelled my brains to awaken memory, and at 
last called to mind a story told me by a brother detective, 
in my way, on a time, up the Mississippi River, in which 
the name of Purvis V figured largely in a criminal trans- 
action. “ Perhaps,’’ thought I, this is the chap in ques- 
tion,” and as I had nothing on hand to do for a day or two, 
T thought I would take the young gentleman in my cliarge 
— at a distance. 

I left the hotel, determining to return early in the even- 
ing, and keep an eye to the young man. I did so, and I 
found that he Avas not a little cheerful ” in his ways about 
the bar, — treating, quite extensively, apparent strangers, 
but evidently, after all, not much given to making acquaint- 
ances. Finally, he left the bar-room, alone, and Avalked 
sloAvly through the hall, with the air of one Avho has noth- 
ing to do, and Avas reflecting hoAv to amuse himself. 

Near the front entrance of the hotel stood three men 
chatting, — men Avhose characters the experienced are 
never at a loss to knoAv at once ; a gentlemanly looking class, 
well dressed, of affable manners, and of the greatest shreAvd- 
ness of address ; men Avhose colloquial poAvers are very 
great at times, but Avho knoAv hoAv to measure every Avord, 
and adapt it to the precise Avants of the individual Avhom 
they may happen to address. These Avere of a class al- 
Avays infesting the hotels, especially the better ones, of 
the city, and Avhose business it is to rope in ” strangers 
into tbe various gambling saloons. 

Upon the approach of Mr. Purvis, tAvo of these Avorthies, 
bidding the other a cordial adieu for the evening, and ad- 
dressing him in a style to indicate that he Avas a man of 
unusual importance, AvithdreAv up BroadAvay. Still this 
courtliness Avas evidently intended to bear upon Mr. Pur- 
vis, who was in hearing ; and as he dreAv nearer the distim 


GAY OLD SAM COLT. 


239 


guished gentleman, Jhe latter addressed him, in a mild way, 
touching the weather, — 

A very pleasant evening, sir.” 

Decidedly. You seldom enjoy a finer one here in New 
York, I suppose ? ” 

0, I don t know about that. The weather here is usu- 
ally pretty fair. Are you a stranger, sir, in New York, 
allow me to ask?” 

^^Not a stranger . exactly, but not a resident. I have 
been here considerably, off and on — enough to know the 
city pretty well, I reckon.” 

That’s my case exactly, for the last few years, though 
I formerly resided here for a while. A pretty stirring 
place to get into, if one knows all the avenues of business 
or pleasure, sir.” 

Surely, but I have never had occasion to learn much 
of these.” 

Well, T too have only a limited acquaintance here, yet 
I always find my way around without much difficulty — 
generally going about with some friends, of whom I have 
a few here, formerly from my native State, Connecticut.” 

“ Ah, Connecticut ? Do you know anything about Hart- 
ford ? Perhaps you are from there ? ” 

Yes, sir, that is my native place, and a pleasant little 
city Tis. Great deal of wealth and refinement there, 
sir.” 

Yes, I know it. I had a cousin from Arkansas there, 
at Trinity College, some years ago, and a gay boy, too, was 
Bill Sebastian ” (if I rightly remember the name he gave). 

I visited him there during his collegiate course, and spent 
a delightful week. Old Sam Colt was a trifle gay — wasn’t 
he ? Well, we had a jolly time with him one night, and 
several more of the jolly men of Hartford, in rooms at 
the old City Hotel. You know where that is?” 

“ Of course ; and it has witnessed many a festive meet- 
ing. The Trinity boys always go there for their fun.” 

I am glad to learn that you are from Hartford. Pve 


240 


IN A ^TjROWN study:* 


thought I should visit that town before I return. Do you 
intend to return there soon ? 

Yes, I may go up to-morrow, but I may remain here a 
day or two more. Should you be going up when I go, I 
should be pleased to have your company.” 

Well, stranger, I hope it Will happen that we go up 
together, if I go at all. And now let us exchange cards. 
My name is Purvis, as you see, of Louisville, Kentucky.” 

The lounger fumbled in his pockets for a card to give to 
Mr. Purvis, but finding none, half-blushingly announced 
that his cards were out, but that his name was George 
Ellsworth.” 

Ellsworth ? Well, sir, you rejoice in a right honorable 
name. IVe heard my Uncle Throckmorton talk a great 
deal about one of the Ellsworths of Connecticut.” 

It was evident to me that Ellsworth ” was making fast 
inroads into the good graces of Purvis, and of the Matter’s 
character I was beginning to be at a loss ; for though I had 
from his name connected him at first Avith a criminal trans- 
action, yet his manner, in conversation Avith EllsAvorth,” 
did not seem to sustain my early suspicions. 

Their conversation noAv assumed a loAver tone, as Purvis 
had draAvn nearer up to EllsAA^orth, the tAvo acting very 
like old acquaintances by this time ; so I managed to draAv 
nearer them, fumbling over the envelopes of some old 
letters I had taken from my pocket, and assuming to be in 
a broAvn study ” over something. 

Well, isn’t this a little dull, Mr. Purvis? I’ve been 
Availing here an hour or so, expecting a particular friend 
along, Avith Avhom I Avas going out for a while to look about. 
But he has been obliged to disappoint me, I suppose,” said 
Ellsworth. 

Yes, it is a little dull, as you say ; a stranger, especially, 
is apt to be very lonesome in a big city. Do you ever 
take Avine, Mr. EllsAvorth ? ” 

“ Seldom, sir, especially Avhen aAvay from home ] but I 
don’t mind a glass now and then.” 


GETTING ON. 


241 


Come, sir, accompany me, if you will. I would invite 
you to my room to take wine, but unfortunately they’re so 
crowded here they’ve been obliged to put me far up. Sup. 
pose we go to the bar ? ” 

Well, if you please ; but you’ll pardon me when I say 
that I must not indulge but once now. The night is long 
yet, and we shall have other occasion, perhaps, to drink. 
I know how generous and impulsive you Southern gentle- 
men are.” 

0, surely, I know we are apt to ^ go ahead,’ like Davy 
Crockett, when we are right, and when we are not, too ; 
but come along, please,” and the trusting Purvis carelessly 
locked his arm in that of Ellsworth, and they moved towards 
the bar-room. 

My first intention was to follow them, but I hesitated, 
and waited their return. They were gone a far longer 
time than necessary to take one glass, and when they came 
along down the hall, rested but a moment at the door, and 
stepped out down Broadway together. 

“ Ellsworth has his victim in sure training,” thought I 
to myself. Where can they be going ? ” 

Feeling confident that some mischief would be wrought 
ere the night was passed, I followed on at proper distance, 
and saw the two lingering for a moment before No. 477 
Broadway. Ellsworth seemed more in doubt what to do 
than Purvis, or less decided. By this time I had, by min- 
gling with sundry pedestrians, managed to approach near 
enough to Ellsworth and Purvis to hear the latter say, — 

Well, if you think we won’t obtrude, let us go up to see 
your friend for a while.” 

No, we shall not obtrude,” replied Ellsworth, but I 
was thinking if we might not find some more agreeable 
place,” — but he turned and went up the stairs, followed by 
Purvis. 

In 477, at that time, Avas a half gambling hell, kept as 
the private rooms of a Avorthless sporting son of a distin- 
guished surgeon. I had never been in the place, but had 

16 


242 


A KING UP A hand: 


heard that many fast young men gathered there to play 
cards for fun, and that sometimes a faro-bank was run 
there for amusement.^’ Fearing that by some possibility 
Ellsworth might notice me as the individual having stood 
near him in the St. Nicholas so long, and suspect something 
if I went in alone, and undisguised, I was resolving what 

course to pursue, when my friend, Henry W , a detec^ 

tive, came along. He was just my size, and wore a blue 
SAvallow-tailed ’’ coat, while I had on a black frock. I 
took Henry into the small hall-way, and said, Business 
up ; swap coats with me in a minute ; and if you’ve a pair 
of false mustaches with you, let me have ’em, Henry.” 

I haven’t mustaches,” said Henry ; but here’s some- 
thing as good,” said he, pulling from the skiid of his coat a 
paper containing a fine long-haired wig. (My hair was 
cut extremely short for the then prevailing fashion.) The 
changing of coats, and assuming of the wig, was but a mo- 
ment’s work, and with my promise to Henry “ to report 
in the morning,” we parted, and I mounted to the sporting- 
room in a trice. Walking in coolly, I proceeded quietly to 
the bureau,” and helped myself, as is the custom in such 
places, to a small glass of wine, and while drinking, took a 
survey. 

There were my friends Ellsworth and Purvis, the former 
evidently instructing the other about the ways and habits 
of such places. This night the faro-bank was in operation 
in one room, and in another several parties were playing 
at cards. 

After a while I overheard Ellsworth say, I never play 
for money, but some one here, I dare say, will take a hand 
with you if you wish a little amusement,” and they saun- 
tered into the card-room, where, without trouble, parties 
were found to make up a hand ” at an unoccupied table 
— Ellsworth declining to play, but taking a seat near Pur- 
vis, to watch the game. The stakes were small, but dur- 
ing the play Purvis lost a little more than the loose change 
which he had about him, and was forced to draw a well- 


SOMETHING LUCKY: 


243 


filled wallet from his side coat pocket. I noticed a pecu- 
liar smile on Ellsworth’s face as his eye rested on that 
wallet ; and from that moment I felt that I had Avork to 
do. I took an apparently listless interest in the game, 
and kept my eye as much on Ellsworth as I could. He 
seemed to be restless. Persons Avere coming in and going 
out of the other room especially, and EllsAvorth’s face 
ahvays reverted to the door AAdien he heard iieAv footsteps 
or a neAv voice. Presently his face brightened, and he got 
up, went into the other room, took a glass of Avine, and on 
returning, aftecting to just then discover a friend, ex- 
claimed, “ Ah, Williams! hoAv do you do? Hoav did you 
get here ? I Avas Avaiting at St. Nicholas for you lor over 
an hour.” 

Well, 1 Avas delayed — did not knoAv Avhere to look for 
you Avhen I got there, and dropped in here, I hardly knoAv 
hoAv ; but, old fellow, it’s all as well uoav — isn’t it ? ” 
giving Ellsworth a gentle pat on the shoulder. All this 
Avas said in such a manner that Purvis might have heard 
it if not too much engaged in his play ; and he probably 
did hear it ; and the tAvo Avorthies Avent arm in arm into 
the card-room. 

Let me interrupt the play for a second, gentlemen, if 
you please,” said EllsAVorth, taking Williams directly up to 
Purvis. Mr. Purvis, alloAv me to introduce to you my 
friend,' Mr. Williams, the gentleman Ave Avere Avaiting so 
long for to-night. Lucky — isn’t it, he dropped in here ? ” 

The usual courtesies of introduction Avere passed, Purvis 
assuring Mr. Williams that he was very glad to make his 
acquaintance, and that the game Avould soon be over, 
Avhen he Avould be glad to learn more of his friend Ells- 
Avorth’s” friend. 

But Avho was this “ Williams ? ” you are apt to inquire, 
right here. I did not knoAv EllsAvorth, but I had seen 
Williams before. He Avas elegantly attired, more so than 
EllsAvorth, indeed, and nearly as mannerly ; though, to the 
practised eye, there avj^s discernible in his face a lower 


244 


BILLY SEA VER. 


range of character than in Ellsworth’s. He had more low 
cunning, and was fitter to do deeds of positive criminality. 
He belonged to the higher class of pickpockets, and I had 
known him under the name of Billy Seaver.” I saw that 
the two were well met to work together. 

Purvis and his party’s game ending, Williams proposed 
to take a hand ; and a party being made up, Purvis contin- 
ued to play, not neglecting to take wine occasionally. On 
one occasion Williams, accompanying him to the sideboard, 
I noticed the former turn suddenly about, as he said, ‘‘ Mr. 
Purvis, join me in claret this time, — an unfashionable 
drink, to be sure ” (with a most graceful smile). I see 
that you take sherry generally,” and having suited the 
action to the word, had poured out a glass, which he handed 
to Purvis, who took and drank it. I had no doubt that 
Williams had skilfully drugged” that dram; and my 
interest began to deepen now that my observations would 
have to continue for several hours. At length I united in 
a game with several new in-comers, and posted myself at 
the table where I could easily watch Purvis and his friends. 
He played on well for a while, but by and by I saw he 
began to grow a little stupid. At this time Williams, who 
was a good talker, entered upon the recital of many curi- 
ous tales ( “ good stories,” as they are called among his 
class, but which were not so good ” as to bear repeating 
here), and tried to keep up Purvis’s waning spirits with 
laughter and jokes. And so Purvis was kept at the board, 
while the drug was constantly doing its sure and secret 
work. Purvis lost considerably, and occasionally reverted 
to his wallet for supplies. 

An hour or so went on, when Ellsworth, who took no 
practical interest in the game, said to Williams, Isn’t it 
about time for honest people to be a-bed ? Hadn’t we bet- 
ter go ? ” 

‘‘Just as you like; and I presume Mr. Purvi4>‘ would 
like to go to his hotel. I declare,” said he, turning to the 
clock on the mantel, “ it is later than I thought,” 


AN ABDUCTION 


245 


Presently the three sallied out. With som^ difficulty 
was it that Purvis moved. They reached the sidewalk, 
and Ellsworth said, Mr. Williams, lePs go up to the St. 
Nicholas with Mr. Purvis,” taking Purvis by the arm in a 
quiet way ; and they started. The distance was so short, 
that on reaching the walk from the stairs, where I over- 
heard the proposition, I thought I would not follow too 
speedily. They had not gone on their way over a minute 
at most, when an alarm of fire on the corner of Howard 
and Broadway arrested my attention, as I thought but 
for a minute or so, — but time flies on such occasions, 
and it might have been five minutes, — when, turning to 
look after my men, I could not see them, but rushed on to 
the hotel. Not finding them there, I sought the clerk, to 
learn if Purvis had taken his key and gone to his room. 
He had seen nothing of Purvis at all, since early in the 
evening,” he said. 

Where could the scoundrels have taken him ? 0, they 
must have dropped into one of the coaches standing at all 
hours of night near the hotel ; that was my solution of the 
matter, and I knew it would be folly to attempt to follow 
them farther ; and I had nothing to do but to withdraw to 
my rooms and go to bed, and await the issue — clew to 
which I felt sure to get next day. 

I took the night clerk into my confidence sufficiently to 
tell him that I suspected Purvis would be victimized, lose 
his money, and perhaps his life ; but conjured him to keep 
still, if he should chance to return before morning; watch 
those who might come with him, and be sure to get the 
number of the coach and name of the driver, if he should 
be brought back in a carriage, and then find out if and 
how he had been played with,” and to send me word ; all 
of which he promised to do, entering with spirit into the 
enterprise. I went home, feeling sure that the clerk would 
give me an intelligent report if anything wrong happened. 

Next morning, about seven o’clock, 1 was awakened at 
my rooms by the clerk, who told me that, an hour before. 


246 


MR. PURVIS TURNS UP. 


Purvis had been pitched into the entrance way of "he 
hotel, in a state of stupidity so great that, after a half 
hour’s attempt to arouse him, they had sent for a doctor ; 
that instantly on hearing the noise of his advent, he had 
rushed to the door, only to see a tall man running down 
street, while a coach, at some distance off, was driving 
rapidly up ; but whether the coach had any connection 
with the matter he thought was doubtful. But he had 
examined Purvis’s clothes, which were much stained and 
soiled, and found a cut in the right side, over his wallet 
pocket, but not large enough to let out much of a purse,” 
he said. As the wallet was large, I fancied that this cut 
had been made, possibly, as they left the gaming-rooms, 
and not succeeding with that, had taken Purvis away to 
finish ” him, — which was doubtless the case. 

I dressed myself rapidly as possible, and hurried to the 
hotel. Purvis had been carried to his room, and a doctor 
and his student, a tall, good-looking, sympathetic fellow, 
were attending him. The doctor administered some medi- 
cines as well as he could, and then performed some quite 
vigorous manipulations of Purvis’s body. The student 
said that he was a native of Louisville, and knew Purvis’s 
family very well, and that he’d give five hundred dollars 
himself for the detection of the scamps who had ill treated 
Purvis. He warmed up to great height on the occasion, in 
true Southern style, generous and ardent. I took a great 
fancy to him, and when the doctor left urged the student 
to remain, which he gladly did. We watched by Purvis’s 
side for an hour and a half before he sufficiently recovered 
to recognize his Louisville friend, and to answer me as to 
how much he had lost, — which was what I most desired 
to know. Where he had been he had no memory of. All 
was a blank to him ; but he knew that the evening before 
he had a thousand and sixty dollars with him — a thousand 
in his wallet, in the side coat pocket, and the sixty in vari- 
ous pockets. He had paid a bill a day before for parties 
in Louisville, and had so much left, only about half of 


A WAJiMDArS womc 


247 


which belonged to him, the remainder belonged to the 
Louisville parties ; which makes the matter a heap 
worse,’’ as he said. 

When I had learned so much, I set about laying my 
plans, within myself, for catching Ellsworth and Williams. 
I had no doubt that they were still in the city, so secret 
had been their operations, as they probably supposed; and 
thinking I might need help, took into my counsels, as far 
as I thought best, my young friend, the stalwart student. 
He was all on fire for the work, if we should chance to 
come across the enemy ; and we started forth, he to arm 
himself at his rooms, I to prepare myself, and we to ren- 
dezvous ” at the St. Nicholas in an hour. 

Coming together, I bethought me that perhaps Purvis’s 
wallet might have some private mark by which it might 
be identified ; and we went up to his room to inquire, and 
learned that the wallet was the gift of his brother, and 
bore, under the principal clasp, in faded gilding, the letters, 
“ C. H. P., L’ville.” The letters were quite ooscure now, 
he said. And we started on our search. I fancied I could 
readily find Williams’s lodgings, and that he would likely 
be there, in a state of more or less sleepiness, and his com- 
peer Ellsworth with him. But I had counted without my 
host that day; and though we were constantly going from 
point to point, in our investigations, nothing had we 
learned when nightfall came, and we were very weary. 
Passing up Roosevelt Street, having had occasion to go 
down to the Williamsburg Ferry, a tall man brushed rap- 
idly by us, whom I at once discovered to be Williams, who 
suddenly dropped into a little filthy cellar oyster saloon, 
and we folloAved. Williams had taken a seat at the remote 
corner of the dirty room, and called for a stew. He looked 
haggard, as if he had, not long ago, been on a tremendous 
spree. We called for oysters roasted in shell, as likely to 
be the most cleanly in that dirty crib. 

Williams was quite nervous,” and spilled the broth over 
himself considerably, and I half conjectured that he, too. 


248 


MR. WILLIAMS IN A PICKLE. 


had been drugged. I knew he must have taken the wallet, 
and that perhaps he had it about him then ; but I had no 
warrant to arrest him on the spot, but must follow him 
farther. He arose, having finished his meal, and started 
straight for the door, and opening it, was going out, when 
the dirty Irish woman who kept the shop exclaimed, Look 
here, mistur, is that the Avay gintlemens trates ladies ? 
Don’t yer pay for yer vittals when yer takes ’em?” 

Williams, who hardly knew what he was about, had 
not, I presume, intended to “ beat ” the woman (to use the 
slang phrase for cheat), but he was maddened by the 
woman’s gross manner, and turned upon her with an oath. 

^^Be jabers,” screamed the woman! Gintlemen,” turrfing 
to us, will yees see a poor honest woman, so there!” (the 
tears coming into her eyes) chated by the likes o’ that 
dirtily blaggard ? Ketch him, and hould him ! ” (flourishing 
a big spoon, like a sword, in air). 

My impulsive student friend needed no more encourage- 
ment, and quickly catching Williams in his brawny arms, 
exclaimed, Here, you scamp ! pay this woman before you 
go, or you’ll stay here all night,” pulling him at the same 
time up to the little dirty counter, behind which the woman 
stood. Half drunk, Williams, finding himself in a strong 
man’s grasp, was instantly quiet, and began fumbling for 
his money. In his search he pulled out a silk sash — as it 
proved, a stolen one at that — from his inner side coat 
pocket, when out tumbled a plethoric wallet with it. 

Be jabers, that’s a fat one, indade ! ” said the woman ; 
the gintleman has money enough to buy out old Astor 
and all his kin.” 

Williams, more intoxicated than I thought at first, 
seemed to take no heed of this, and after he had managed 
to fish out of his pocket money enough to pay the old 
woman, I took up the wallet, and said, ‘‘ Here, don’t leave 
this ; you’ll Avant it.” 

He looked in amazement, as he started towards me, as he 
saAV me deliberately opening the clasp. There were the 

2P 





% 


KETCH HIM AND HOULD HIM.” - - WILLIAMS' ARREST. — “Here, you scamp, pay this woman before you go! 



THE UNCLAIMED WATCH. 


251 


self-same initials Purvis had told us of. I will keep 
this, Mr. Williams, said I ; “ this is what I am after. — Old 
woman, this man is a pickpocket. — Bolt the door ! I 
exclaimed to my student friend, which he did instantly. 
^‘Take charge of Williams while I examine the wallet; and 
you, old woman, keep quiet ; and, Williams, don’t you dare 
to mak^ the least noise, or we’ll finish you here.” 

I made rapid search, and found in the wallet nine hun- 
dred and thirty dollars (some of it Kentucky money), a 
lady’s elegant gold enamelled watch, and a chain which 
could not have cost less than two hundred dollars, but 
which had been cut in some of the links — evidently 
a recent prize of Williams. He would never tell where 
that watch came from ; and I advertised “ A lady’s watch, 
taken from a pickpocket. The owner can have the same 
by identifying it. Call at No. — Broadway,” for several 
days, in the papers. But no one ever came to claim it, 
and I gave it to a lady, who still wears it, subject to the 
owner’s reclamation at any time. . 

Williams saw that it was all over with him, but he pro- 
tested that he did not abstract the wallet ; that the whole 
job ” was Ellsworth’s ; and I was willing to believe this 
in part, for Ellsworth was the prime roper-in. More anx- 
ious to catch Ellsworth than to punish Williams, I agreed 
that if he would tell me the whole story' truly, and where 
Ellsworth could be found, I would, on finding the latter, 
let him, Williams, off. 

He told me the story in detail. They had taken Purvis, 
that night, over to a place in Williamsburg, occupied by 
Ellsworth, and his family,” as he pretended. Purvis was 
so stupid when they arrived there that the coachman had 
to assist them to bear him into the house. Of course the 
process of robbery was easy after that. But not having a 
good place to keep Purvis, and that matter being danger- 
ous, too, they had hired another coach near morning, and 
brought him over to New York, Williams coming alone 
with him. He would not tell me the -coachman’s name, — 


252 


AN INCREDIBLE STORY, 


the one of the night before, — but said he had “ bled ’’ 
them to the tune of fifty dollars for his services. 

He had been over to Williamsburg, and was on his way 
back, taking with him the money, which he was to divide 
the next day, at a certain hour, in a place he named in the 
Bowery, with Ellsworth, who would be there. 

I did not credit his story, to be sure ; but still I was 
there duly, and found Williams, who pretended surprise 
as he came in with an officer (into whose keeping I had 
given him, — having called him before we left the shop, — 
on a charge of forgery, not telling him I knew the real 
state of the case), at not finding Ellsworth up to his ap- 
pointment. But my story is running into too much detail. 
Suffice it that we got back to the hotel as speedily as we 
could, and a more delighted man than was Mr. Purvis, on 
the recovery of so much of his money, can hardly be ima- 
gined. He gave the Avatch, of course, into my keeping, 
and in spite of all my protestations, compelled me to re- 
ceive a much larger sum than Avould have amply satis- 
fied me. 

I pursued Ellsworth somewhat afterwards, visiting his 
family in Williamsburg, but I could not get track of 
him for a long while, Avhen he turned up in another city, 
and I chanced tq, make him available in the detection of 
sundry other rogues. But that story is sui generis, and I 
must not mar it by a recital of a part here. 

As for the brave medical student (whose name I have 
purposely Avithheld), he became a fast friend of mine, and 
aftei'Avards Ave had several adventures together, some of 
Avhich I purpose to relate, should I at some other time feel 
more in the spirit to do so. 

Enough to know noAv, that he is, for his years, an emi- 
nent physician, with a large practice, in a district in the 
South, and married to a most beautiful Avoman, Avhose 
acquaintance he made Avhile once playing the amateur de- 
tective. In some of these papers, perhaps, his name, if he 
permits, Avill be disclosed. Had he given himself to the 


A LESSON CHEAPLY BOUGHT. 


253 


business, I conceive that he could not have had a success* 
ful rival, as a detective, in the world. The same knowl- 
edge of 'human nature which the detective needs, cannot 
but serve the physician to great advantage. 

Mr. Purvis said that if he had wholly lost the thousand 
dollars, the lesson he had learned would have been cheaply 
bought. 


THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. 


THE ANTIQUITY OF THAT SHEEP’S SKIN AND ITS PIOUS USEFULNESS — A 
LARGE LOSS OF SILKS, SATINS, LACES, AND OTHER GOODS — A CON« 
SULTATION — A LONG STUDY — THE VARIOUS CHARACTERS OF SEVERAL 

CLERKS, WHAT THEY DID, AND HOW THEY KILLED “SPARE TIME” 

INFLUENCE OF THE CITY ON MORALS — NEW YORK CENTRAL^PARK — 
A MOST WONDERFUL SERIES OF THEFTS — THE MATTER INEXPLICABLE AT 
FIRST, GROWS MORE SUBTLE — A GLEAM OF LIGHT AT LAST — A BRIGHT 
ITALIAN BOY PLAYS A PART — A LADY FOLLOWED* — MORE LIGHT — AN 
EXTEMPORIZED SERVANT OF THE CROTON WATER BOARD GETS INSIDE A 
CERTAIN HOUSE — SARAH CROGAN AND I — HOW A HOUSE IN NINETEENTH 
STRERT DELIA^ERED UP ITS TREASURES — “ WILLIAM BRUCE,” ALIAS 
CHARLES PHILLIPS — A VERY STRANGE DENOUEMENT — A MEEK MAN 
TRANSFORMED *, HIS RAGE — A DELIVERY UP, WITH ACCOMPANYING JEW- 
ELS — A “widow” not a widow removes — WHAT SARAH CROGAN 
THOUGHT. 

It is an astonishing thing to a detective, and ought to 
be to every person of sense, it seems to me, that after 
the experiences of ages ‘‘ the-wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing still 
keeps on deluding people. Everybody ought by this thne 
to know the animal, and everybody does, in a sense ; but 
everybody has heard of him, and seen him somewhere 
along the path of life, and either been bitten by him, or 
sorely frightened, or something of the sort. Yet forever 
he is playing his wiles with success with everybody ; and 
his sheep skin is the same one he has used ever since his- 
toric time began, and perhaps long before that. But I 
did not take my pen to descant upon the blunders and 
stupidities of my fellow-mortals, or to adorn this page with 
a lecture on morals and hypocrisies, but to tell a tale in 
which, perchance, a “ moral will be better painted ” by 
the facts it discloses than by my discursive pen. 

I w^s called upon one day by the confidential clerk of ^ 


THE EXTENSIVE ROBBERY. 


255 


large mercantile house in this city, and informed by him 
that he had been sent by one of the partners of the- house, 
— the other partners being abroad, one in Europe, and one 
in the South, — in regard to the matter of extensive rob- 
beries from their store ; and it had been thought best that 
I should be made acquainted with the chief facts before 
visiting the house — as they supposed, of course, he said, 
I should wish to. I told him (and here, for sake of brevity, 
let me give him a name, which is correct only in the 
initial letters — Charles Phillips) — I told Mr. Phillips that 
his policy was quite right, and that 1 would listen then 
and there to his story. He went on to recount that, prob- 
ably for a long while, the house had been robbed of various 
kinds of goods, but that of late, particularly, they had been 
greatly annoyed by missing large quantities of the highest 
priced goods : their best silks, satins, laces,* etc., which, 
being costly goods, amounted, as nearly as they could cal- 
culate, — in one month’s loss, too, — to some eighteen hun- 
dred dollars ; and of course,” said he, “ the loss may be 
more, for perhaps we do not know all we have lost. He 
told me of plans which he and the partner at home had 
devised to find out the thief or thieves, and the watch that 
had been set, all to no avail. He had a different opinion 
about it, he said, from the partner, who thought some of 
the clerks must be the guilty parties ; and it did seem so, 
sometimes, he said, for the store was well watched nights 
by a trus^^ watchman, whom he himself had watched as 
well, and felt confident that he could have no confederates ; 
and, besides, the things taken were not usually in reach 
of customers — only the clerks, could get at them. So he 
thought his employer excusable, perfectly, for his suspicion 
that some of the clerks must be the thief. Yet for his 
part he could not believe it, inasmuch as he had known all 
the clerks so long, — five years, a majority of them, and 
the rest of them, save three, who had been but from two to 
six months in the house, for from one year up to three and 
four j and he thought he knew all about them, and could 


256 


THE PRIVATE MARKS. 


not allow himself to suspect any one of them. But, nev- 
ertheless, his employer, who could not in his own mind 
fasten suspicion upon any specific person, had fully made 
up his mind that some of the clerks were guilty, and they 
were now going to wake up the matter, if possible, and 
bring things to a focus,” as he expressed it. 

I listened to what Mr. Phillips had to say, and inquired how 
many clerks there were in the establishment, when he in- 
formed me that, aside from himself, there were thirty-seven. 

Thirty-seven ? ” said I ; and you are not able to say 
that any one of these is more innocent or less guilty than 
another, eh ? ” 

No.” 

Well, then, weVe a job on hand which may last for a 
good while, and require not only time, but patience, ahd a 
good deal of money to work out ; for we might hit on the 
thief the first thing, but we might not be able to identify 
him till we had been through with all the rest, and satis- 
fied ourselves of their innocence, you see, and it may cost 
your house more than it would to suffer the losses, and 
let accident, perhaps, hereafter disclose the guilty party.” 

I have talked this very point over with Mr. Redding,” 
(the partner), said he, “ and he says the firm must go to 
any necessary cost to find the thief, and put a stop to 
peculations ; that the house cannot, in fact, long do busi- 
ness at this rate of loss, and he’s made up his mind to go 
into the matter thoroughly, and when he gets his head set, 
there’s no moving him. The house must go ahead in this 
business, and let you have your way about it.” 

I learned from Mr. Phillips that many of the goods taken 
were of a peculiar kind, but after all, not to be readily 
identified, if the private marks of the house were removed ; 

and any thief,” said he, ‘‘ shrewd enough to steal from 
our store, at the rate the thefts have been going on for the 
last few weeks, is wise enough, I dare say, to leave noth- 
ing of a story-telling nature on the goods. He’s probably 
removed our private marks at his earliest convenience.’^ 


A GENERAL SURVEY. 


257 


After our conference was over, and I had agreed to cail 
at the store the next day, in the capacity of a wholesale cus- 
tomer from Buffalo,” and Mr. Phillips was gone, I set my- 
self to work at some theory in the case, and found myself 
quite baffled at every point. I had not facts enough yet 
in my possession to forpi an opinion ; and as I prided my- 
self in those days, more than I do now, on my unerring 
skill in detecting a thief by his countenance, I resolved to 
theorize no more till I had gone through the house, and 
scrutinized each clerk^s face. But that night I talked the 
matter over with certain of my brother detectives, for it 
was evident that there was work enough to be done, if 
we wished to save time, for several of them. Each of my 
men thought the matter could be easily solved. Some of 
the clerks were, of course, the thieves, and they only 
needed to be spotted for a few eights at once, and sure 
as fate the guilty one would be brought to light ^twas 
agreed ; but it didn’t prove so easy a job, after all. 

The next day I called upon Mr. Redding, it having been 
understood between me and Mr. Phillips that he was not 
to recognize me before the clerks, until after I might have 
been presented to him by Mr. Redding, and then only cur- 
sorily. I handed Mr. Redding a note which T had prepared, 
and as he did not know me personally, and was a little 
taken aback at what I said in the note, I giving him sun- 
dry orders and directions therein, his strangership to me 
was quite evident to the clerks who chanced to be about 
when we met. Mr. Redding showed me all the distinc- 
tion that I required, and himself showed me through the 
establishment. It was a long list of goods, indeed, that 
which I prized, in every department; and we took our 
time, in order that I might have the amplest opportunity 
to study each clerk’s face, which I did to my satisfaction, 
but to no certainty as to which one if any was the thief. 
I thought that either my usual sagacity had fled me, or 
else that the clerks were a singularly honest set of young 
men, and withal exceedingly well chosen and clover. 


17 


258 


AND COLUMNS. 


I was at times tempted to suspect one or two of them ; 
but I could not tell why, and came to the conclusion at 
last that this temptation resulted rather from my anxiety 
to spot ’’ some one, than from good judgment ; and I con- 
cluded that part of the business without having arrived 
at any conclusion whatever as to the guilty parties. After 
this Mr. Redding called his chief confidential clerk, Mr. 
Phillips, into the counting-room, and we quietly talked 
over the matter. At Mr. Redding’s request, Mr. Phillips 
produced such a list as they had been able to make of the 
goods lost, which amounted in all to quite an astonishing 
sum ; but of these things they could inform me of nothing 
which was very peculiar in its nature — nothing the like 
of which other stores had not. But I finally requested to 
see some of the richest silks, such as those they had lost, 
and was taken by Mr. Redding to see Chem. I have a 
pretty accurate eye for forms and colors, and I paid spe- 
cial attention to a piece of silk, the like of which I had 
never seen, and the cost of which was more than that of 
any other piece in the store. It was a heavy silk — would 
stand alone, and had in it “ ribs,” after the fashion some- 
what of a twisted column, the pattern of which was per- 
haps borrowed from a column in the court of some old con- 
vent, such as I had often seen in Italy, where for a year I 
was occupied in that country ferreting out some scamps 
who had fled there from Philadelphia, and who were badly 
wanted to settle sundry accounts. With the association 
of the ribs ” and the column, I was not likely to forget 
that piece of silk. But other houses had the like, and I 
might not be able to identify the piece as coming from Mr. 
Redding’s store, if I should chance to come across it in 
some retail store, at the pawnbroker’s, or anywhere else. 
Yet it might prove a clew, and I put my faith in it ; with 
what result, will be seen further on, for I cannot mar my 
narrative by introducing it here. 

It was quite evident to me that the thief must be some 
one or more of the clerks ; and I could not, on inquiry into 


A ^^CHICKEN-HEARTED^* MAN. 


259 


the habits of the clerks, so far as Mr. Redding understood 
them, or in any way, fix upon any one of the clerks as 
more likely than another to be the thief. These young 
men had been well selected ; were smart fellows, each in 
his way. Indeed, Mr. Redding thought that, on the whole, 
his house had the best set of clerks of all the houses in 
the city, and although he was convinced that some one or 
more of them (and he as well as 1 inclined to the no- 
tion that there must be two at least) were guilty, yet he 
said he would gladly give a thousand dollars if the guilt 
could be fastened upon somebody without the store ; for 
the house had always treated its clerks as if they were 
the partners^ own children in many respects, and given 
the clerks rather better wages than they could get any- 
where else, and some unusual privileges. They had near- 
ly all been long with the house, and I thought that Mr. 
Redding seemed to suffer as much from the fear that some 
of the clerks would prove to be the guilty party, as from 
the loss of the goods themselves. In fact, he confessed 
that he felt chicken-hearted ” about the matter, as he 
expressed it; but his partners^ interests as well as his 
own must be looked to, and so he was resolute. 

I returned to my office, and set about immediate pre- 
parations on the work. I was going at it that night, and 
I saw that there was no other way than to take matters 
coolly, and work systematically. I sent for some of my 
men, having apprised Mr. Redding that it would cost 
something to work up the case, and that to do it within 
any conscionablc time I must set several men at work. 
He had given me quite a wide range for expenses, saying 
that it would not do to be guilty of any laches in the busi- 
ness for want of means ; because, at the rate they were 
losing property, with all their eyes open at that, they 
would soon have to give up business. 

I set my men to kee[)ing their eyes on certain of the 
clerks whose places of residence and names Mr. Redding 
had given me. He had not procured the streets and num* 


260 


IN THE BILLIARD-ROOM. 


bers of all of them, but was to do so next day. The clerks 
designated were carefully watched and followed, to find 
out how and where they spent their nights, for it was my 
conjecture, that whoever stole the goods was under the 
influence of some demon passion ; that he either gambled, 
and was deeply in debt, and stole the goods and sold them, 
or that some wily woman had him in her power, or some 
fiend of a man was driving him on in crime ; and it was 
necessary first to find out all about where these young 
men spent their time out of the store. 

I took my own place in the work, and having been so much 
about the store that day, it was necessary that I disguise 
myself, as I did ; and I took my station on Broadway, near 
the store, and waited for the young men to sally forth, 
directing my men to the boarding-places of some of the 
clerks, with as accurate descriptions of them as I could 
give. 

I had not long to wait before some of the clerks passed 
me, and I selected two, whom I followed. Darkness was 
just coming on. They stopped on a corner to lay out their 
programme for the evening, and concluded to not go home 
to tea, but to go to a restaurant, where I followed them, 
and remained there till they left ; and when they came out 
they went up Broadway, and stopping before a billiard 
saloon, seemed to be debating the question whether they 
would go up or not; but finally they went up the stairs, 
and I remained behind a few minutes, and then followed 
them. Somehow, as I entered the room, and my eye fell 
upon the face of one of them, something seemed to tell me 
that he was the guilty fellow. The young men had already 
commenced a game, and were busy with the bewitching 
balls. I lounged about, and finally got a partner for a sin- 
gle game. The young men did not bet — only played for 
sport, and at a seasonable hour left, not however, till I, 
having observed that they would soon depart, had gotten 
down on to the pavement before them. When they came 
down, they set off together, walked some distance togeth- 


AT THE BOWERY THEATRE. 


261 


er, turned down a side street, and on the corner of it and 
another street bade each other good night. One of them 
went on to his boarding-house, and so I suppose did the 
other. 

The next night I gave my particular attentions to tliose 
same young men. They went over to the Bowery Theatre, 
and like sensible fellows, too, had seats in the pit, in which 
part of the house I also secured a place. They seemed 
to enjoy the play greatly, and one of them threw a quar- 
ter of a dollar on the stage in lieu of a bouquet, in testimony 
of his appreciation of the splendid representation of a 
mock Richard the Third by the leading actor, and 1 
fancied that perhaps I had found out the young man’s lead- 
ing passion — his besetting sin. 

When they left the theatre they proceeded to an ale- 
house, and after taking a mug apiece of somebody’s “ best 
pale ale,” sallied out, and wended their way together home- 
ward, till they came to the parting-place again ; and I fol- 
lowed the one whom 1 did not pursue the night before, only 
to be led on a long distance up into Hudson Street, when 
the young man applying his night-key to the door of a 
very respectable-looking house, entered and vanished. I 
had begun to make up my mind that this sort of work 
would not do ; that these clerks were but like ten thou- 
sand others, who, wearied by their day’s work, sought 
recuperation in slight dissipations, and, perhaps, question- 
able pleasures, such as billiards, and comedies, and ales 
give. But I followed up some other of the clerks, report- 
ing every day to Mr. Redding or to Mr. Phillips very ill 
success. Tlie latter was particularly anxious to have me 

go on, and make thorough work of it ; ” and as the days 
went on I became much attached to him. 

My men, too, brought me their accounts daily, with as 
little success towards the desired end as I myself had, and 
we were frequently on the point of giving up the job. We 
concluded that perhaps several of the clerks were engaged 
in this robbery; that they might have formed a secret 


262 


TRACING THE CLERKS. 


society among themselves, and that they probably had a 
safe place to send their goods to, and a skilful “ receiver,’^ 
who would pay them perhaps half price for the goods, but 
we could find nothing to sustain this hypothesis. Two or 
three of the clerks were quite literary in their tastes, and 
belonged to some debating club, 1 forget the name now, 
but it was quite an institution at the time, and thither my 
men had followed them, and quite fallen in love with the 
spirited manner and eloquent speech-making of one of the 
clerks. Of course they followed these wherever they 
went, and nothing could convince them that these young 
men were guilty. One of the clerks was an inveterate 
theatre-goer. He went every night to one theatre or 
another ; but my men found out that he usually had passes, 
and was, to some extent, a dramatic critic, furnishing the 
reporters of sundry papers with notes, and that in this way 
he probably got his passes, and so did not in this way 
waste much of his slender salary. He neither smoked nor 
drank liquor, and seemed to be always alone, careless of 
companionship ; so he was dropped as “ not the man.” 
Another of the clerks had, it was found, a strange fancy for 
old books and antique engravings. He spent, evidently, as 
little money on his person as would suffice to dress neatly 
and well enough for his position, and put all he could have 
into old books and engravings ; and we found that he was 
well known by all those strange men, who in these days 
mostly collect in Nassau Street, and live among the rubbish 
and dirt of old, and for most part, worthless books, driving 
keen bargains, giving little, and asking much for some 
rare old folly of a book, or some worthless volume in which 
some lord of the blood, or some royal sovereign of literar 
ture, like Johnson or Addison, had chanced to write his 
name. The young clerk had a business man’s as well 
as an artist’s eye for these things, we found, and was 
said, by the old book-men, to make such excellent assort- 
ments of engravings, etc., which he bound together, as to 
be able to realize in their sale quite an advance on the 


INFLUENCE OF THE FINE ARTS. 


263 


original purchase. And so we found merit instead of crime 
in him, and felt very sure that he could be ‘^'counted out.’’ 
But we had some singular experiences. One of the clerks, 
as did indeed three of them, boarded in Brooklyn. This 
one was a Sunday-school teacher, but he came over to New 
York one Sunday night to attend a religious meeting, and 
being particularly followed that night, he was found going 
into a disreputable ladies’ boarding-house.” Some of the 
clerks were Sunday-school teachers, especially certain of 
them who were middle-aged, and married ; but we discov- 
ered, in our scrutiny of these clerks, that these older ones 
especially, had a habit of taking their country customers 
and friends to see the sights of the city at night, and that 
in order to beguile these persons, in other words, to show 
them proper attentions,” they were not scrupulous about 
forgetting their Sunday-school teachings, and. taking these 
customers into the most questionable dens in the city. In 
those days the vulgar phrase “ seeing the elephant ” was 
more common than now, and included participation in all 
sorts of small and impure vices. In my opinion, this greed 
for trade, which impells the competing clerks of different 
houses to show every possible attention of this kind to the 
young men (as well as old, for often the old are worse than 
the young) who come to the city to buy goods, has led to 
the downfall, the moral and financial ruin, of thousands who 
would otherwise have led honorable, and perhaps noble 
lives. But things in this respect are better now a days 
than they were many years ago in New York. The great 
advance which the fine arts have made in this country, even 
within the last ten years, has had much to do with this 
improvement. The theatre is “ a thing of beauty ” and 
attractive in comparison to what it used to be ; and every- 
where scattered throughout the city are many matters of 
the higher arts to attract and interest the stranger or fre- 
quent visitor even, and so in a measure keep him out of 
harm’s way. The Central Park has been a great educator 
of the city people out of vices, and has an elevating influ- 


264 


MYSTERIOUS PECULATIONS, 


ence upon country people coming to the city, many of 
whom luxuriate in a visit to it, instead of dissipate,’^ 
as in years ago, in the dens of the crowded city ; for in 
winter even, Avhen the cold is intense enough to make ice, 
joyous nights are spent in skating on the Park pond, or 
in beholding the witching gayeties of the accomplished 
skaters. 

But the days went on, — I almost daily conferring with 
Mr. Bedding, or his accomplished chief clerk, •Mr. Phillips, 
whose sagacity and inventive genius pleased me greatly. 
He would have made — in fact was, in one sense — one of 
the most shrewd and capable of detectives. There was 
no avenue for the slightest suspicion which his keen brain 
could not discover when Mr. Bedding seemed disposed to 
give up in despair, as from time to time I faithfully report- 
ed to him the empty results of my own and my men’s 
constant watching, or drew on the house, on different occa- 
sions, for current expenses. Mr. Phillips stimulated him to 
further endeavor, feeling, as he said, and as an honest man, 
in his capacity, could not well but feel, that the responsi- 
bility on his part was morally as great as if he were the 
pecuniary sufferer, and he continued to bravely and nobly 
work in the interest of the house. But constantly the 
peculations went on ; and so mysteriously were they con- 
ducted, that I believe it would have required no great 
amount of argument to convince Mr. Bedding that invisible 
hands took part in the thefts ; that the spirits of some old 
merchants, perhaps (not having forgotten their greed of 
gain in the other world), were the authors and doers of 
this wickedness ; for he was half inclined to belief in modern 
spiritualism, and the partner who was in Europe was an 
avowed spiritualist, his daughter, a sickly young lady of 
eighteen or twenty years of age, being a medium.” It was 
partly for her health’s sake that the father had taken her to 
Europe. Mr. Bedding was confounded, as from time to time, 
something more of much value, often of great value, was 
missed. Finally he took up his lodgings for a few nights 


A DERNIER RESORT. 


265 


at the store, with an inside and an outside watchman, and 
with an ugly watch-dog for a companion; but this did 
no good, for valuables were still missed, and what was the 
most perplexing thing, were apparently taken in the night. 
Mr. Redding became sensibly weak, looked haggard, was 
restless and nervous, and his family physician ordered him 
to suspend work. Mr. Redding had great pride about this 
matter, and all the clerks were put under an injunction of 
secrecy in regard to the losses, and I have reason to 
think they faithfully respected the mandate. This secrecy 
was suggested as a matter of pride as well as prudence, 
for Mr. Redding would not have had his brother merchants 
in the city know of the troubles in his house for anything. 
It would have led, he thought, to the financial injury of the 
firm. 

Finally, Mr. Redding was taken sick, and remained at 
home for three days. On the second day he sent for me, 
and showed me an advertisement he had caused to be put 
in the Herald, calling for twenty clerks of experience in 
the dry goods business, etc. “None need apply who 
cannot produce the best certificates of character, and come 
recommended by all parties in whose employ they may 
have ever been.'^ He named a box in the Herald office 
as the place of address, and he already had sent his servant 
to the Herald office, and when I arrived was opening one 
of over fifty letters received. He showed me the adver- 
tisement and responses with an air of pride. 

i I have made up my mind that our salvation is in a 
change of clerks,’’ said he. “ The innocent and guilty 
must go alike. I will first dismiss twenty, — fortunately, 
we make our contracts with clerks in such way that I can 
do this, — and after twenty new ones are worked in, and 
know our modes of doing business, I will dismiss all the 
rest, and fill their places with new men. What do you 
think of my new plan ? ” 

I told him that, as a dernier resort^ it was probably wise, 
but that fruitless though had been our work heretofore, I 


266 


HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. 


nevertheless wanted to try further ; and I proposed that he 
go on and make the acquaintance of the new applicants pri- 
vately, examine their credentials, and get ready to receive 
them, if wanted, in due time ; but that so great and sud- 
den a. change of clerks could not but tend to confuse his 
customers, especially as many of their clerks had been 
with him for years, and they would inevitably take many 
of the customers with them ; while he could not be sure 
that the newly -incoming clerks would bring him any trade 
at all. There was a wildness in Mr. Redding’s eyes that 
day, which looked to me precursory of insanity, and I felt 
that anything like full espousal of his plan would excite 
him, and perhaps hasten the wreck of his intellect. But 
Mr. Redding got better, and reappeared at his store, and 
he told me when I next met him thereafter, that he had no 
heart to turn away some of his clerks who had been so 
long his companions, and he found it impossible to select 
the first twenty for decapitation. 

Mr. Redding communicated his plan to Mr. Phillips, and 
the latter, with his usual sagacity, opposed it, suggesting 
several reasons, among which was one which weighed 
much with Mr. Redding, to the effect that he could be no 
surer of the honesty of the new clerks than of that of 
the old, and that it was by no means certain that like 
losses were not being suffered in other houses, and that 
some of these new clerks might have been dismissed un- 
der like circumstances to those which suggested the dis- 
mission of his own clerks, and he added, ‘‘ If you were to 
dismiss the clerks, you would be obliged, in honor, to give 
each one of them the best commendation for faithfulness 
in business, and you could not conscientiously refuse to 
add, ‘ for honesty and integrity.’ ” 

No, no ; I could not do less ; that is true,” said Mr. 
Redding ; and perhaps the new comers would bring cer- 
tificates from employers situated just as we are. I had 
not thought of that.” 

There was the greatest respect on the part of the under 
32 


A CONDITION OF DESPAIR. 


267 


clerks manifested towards Mr. Phillips, and I doubt not 
that if he communicated this matter of the proposed 
change, and his opposition to it, to them, that he won 
upon their gratitude and regard still further. Mr. Phillips 
was indeed a model man in every respect. He had not 
only great business tact, but he had the refined manners 
of a cultivated gentleman, and was evidently considerable 
of a literary man withal, and was, 1 was told, a very happy 
public speaker. He was, as I have before observed, a 
man of ready expedients, of fertile inventive genius, and 
it was difficult to see how the house could well get on 
without him. But as the difficulties of the situation in- 
creased, Mr. Phillips began to evince much wear and tear 
of mind, and he told Mr. Redding, that though his con- 
tract called for two years more of service (it had been 
three years before), he thought he should be compelled to 
ask that the contract be rescinded, and he would withdraw 
from business for a while and get rest. 

Mr. Redding would hear nothing of this ; but, of course, 
he could not oblige, nor would it have been expedient if he 
could, Mr. Phillips to remain, and so, to cheer him up, and 
secure his inestimable services longer, he agreed to ad- 
vance his salary from the beginning of the next month by 
fifty per cent., and insisted that Mr. Phillips should give 
up the old contract, and enter into a new one to that efiect. 
This was an unexpected turn of affairs for Mr. Phillips, 
and of course stirred his deepest gratitude, and he entered 
with renewed vigor into the matter of the detection of the 
thieves — himself offering, as he did, to forego the pleas- 
ures of his nights at home, in the bosom of his charming 
family, and occupying a couch at the store with the watch- 
man. But this lasted only a week, for the robberies were 
no less frequent during that week than before ; and Mr. 
Phillips began obviously to experience something of the 
despair which had afflicted Mr. Redding when he slept at 
the store. Mr. Phillips abandoned this course, and retired 
again to his home for his nights’ lodgings, “ giving up all' 


268 


A THOROUGH CHANGE. 


hope,” as he expressed it, and sorely vexed that he had 
entered into a new contract on any terms. 

Mr. Redding, waiting for his partner, who was at the 
South, to return, and greatly tried that he could get no 
word from him, had resolved, finally, to carry out his plan 
of dismissing all the clerks, and obtaining new, when the 
partner suddenly came back, and being made acquainted 
with the state of things, and feeling that Mr. Redding had 
not pursued the wisest course, undertook to manage affairs 
himself, by making each clerk responsible for all the goods 
within such and such spaces, or in such and such lines of 
wares. This scheme worked well for a few days ; but the 
clerks revolted at it, as one after another suffered losses, 
and his partner became as much perplexed as was Mr. 
Redding. It was evident now that if one clerk was to be 
suspected of creating the losses ” which occurred in his 
department, several were to be suspected, and the partner 
finally coincided with Redding and Mr. Phillips, who had 
finally given his judgment in favor of the plan of thorough 
change, and they proceeded to put their plan in execution, 
by dismissing ten clerks at first, and employing ten new 
ones in their places, which was done. 

The parting with some of the ten was quite affecting; 
but each bore from the house the best possible written 
commendation, and all were able, as I was afterwards told, 
to secure good situations in other houses. But Mr. Red- 
ding and his partner, seconded by Mr. Phillips, wished me 
to continue my investigations as I had opportunity, and 
settled with me up to the time, and I must add, gener- 
ously, thanks to Mr. Phillips, who suggested that though 
we were all foiled, I was entitled to more than I charged, 
for I had, he said, actually kept the house on its legs by 
the moral support I had given Mr. Redding and him. 

I tried to dismiss the matter from my mind, but the 
chagrin I felt at having actually discovered nothing kept 
it constantly in memory, although I was as constantly per- 
plexed with other and pressing busiuess. I had by no 


TWO OVER-DRESSED LADIES. 


269 


means given up the matter finally, however; for I had 
known too many cases before, where the desired knowl- 
edge or evidence came only in accidental, or som^ most 
unlooked-for ways, and that a long while after it was most 
wanted, to give up all hope of solving this problem; and 
finally, some three weeks from the time to which I last 
refer, light began to dawn. 1 was on a hurried mission in 
a Fourth Avenue horse-car, on my way to the New Haven 
depot at 27th Street, in order to identify, if possible, a man 
there held in temporary custody, as the man whom I was 
seeking, charged with the commission of a crime in New 
Jersey, wlien two ladies entered the car at 8th Street. 
Both of them would have been elegantly dressed, only 
that they were “ over-dressed,’^ and sparkling besides with 
an abundance of jewelry, which suggested vulgar breed- 
ing and sudden accession to wealth. 

The car was already full, and as no one else stirred, — 
mostly travellers with their bags, on their way to catch 
the train Boston-ward, — I rose, and made place for one, 
which was immediately taken, with a bow of grateful rec- 
ognition of my courtesy, for a wonder, by the better look- 
ing of the ladies. I do not know whether there is such 
a thing as magnetic attraction or not in the world, but 
sure it is that somehow I felt that lady to bear some im- 
portant relation to my business before I observed her 
dress particularly, and nothing could have been further 
from my then present memory than that dress, and at first 
I could not at once call to my mind where I had seen any- 
thing like it; but suffice it that on slight inspection I dis- 
covered it to be of the same pattern with the one I had 
seen at Mr. Bedding’s store, with the twisted-column 
“ ribs.” I felt that, perhaps, here was a clew at last to the 
whole matter, but I was on business of equally great im- 
portance. The ladies, perchance, might be going out on 
the next, train, but probably not. They might stop short 
of 27th Street, and I miist go there, and what should I do*? 
I surveyed the passengers, stepped to the front platform. 


270 


THE YOUNG DETECTIVE. 


and cast a look at a man there, and saw nobody whom I 
could address, and we were making more than usually 
rapid progress up. 

I had half resolved in my mind to send word up by the 
driver to 27th Street, and get him to stop, by giving him a 
dollar, and run into the station-house, and say I would be 
up before long, and to follow the ladies myself, when, at 
the next crossing, there came on to the rear platform of the 
car as bright a black-eyed boy, of Italian parentage, I saw 
at once, as could have well been found in the city. He 
had with him a basket, in whfch he carried some valuable 
toys for sale. I took a fancy to the lad, and asked him 
how old he was. “ Thirteen,’^ was the reply, though ho 
did not look over ten years of age. I asked him if 
he wished to earn five dollars that afternoon. His eyes 
sparkled, as he replied, Yes.’^ I inquired of him where 
he lived, the number of his house, his name, that of his par- 
ents, and so forth, and took them all rapidly down on my 
diary. 

“ Now,” said I, here’s my card. I am one of the offi- 
cers of the city, and could find you out in any part of the 
city in the darkest night, and I want to make an officer of 
you for a little while ” (and the boy looked up with proud 
wonder). I will take your basket ; you can come for it 
to-morrow to my office, and here are two dollars for you 
to begin with. I will give you the three dollars to-mor^ 
row, and you may bring your father along with you, if you 
like. I should like to see him, and may be, if you do well 
in the matter I am going to tell you of, he’ll let you go to 
live with me, where you can make a great deal of money.” 

I had hit the right chord, and the boy was all ears. In 
a low voice I told him of the two ladies in the cars, sent 
him to look at them, without their seeing him eye them, 
and come right out. I told him that I wished him to fol- 
low them, keeping at a distance behind, not let them sus- 
pect him, and if they separated, to follow the larger one 
(the lady with the peculiar silk.dress), and if she stopped 


THE YOUNG DETECTIVE, 


271 


in stores or houses, to wait till she came out, and not give 
up watching her till he was sure she had stopped for the 
last time that day, and was at her home, and to take the 
number and street, so as to be able to go and point out 
the place to me. “ Could he do this nicely, and not be 
suspected ? ” 

The little fellow’s pride was all aroused. He knew he 
could do it all right,” and he would follow her into the 
night, he said, if necessary. Then I told him where 1 
lived, and put the number on the back of my card, and 
told him if he got hungry or benighted to come and stay 
over night at my house. The little fellow had probably 
never been treated with such distinction before, for the 
tears came into his eyes. I had hardly got my arrange- 
ments with him made when the bell announced that some- 
body wished to get out at 22d Street, and forth came the 
two ladies. I clapped his cap over the boy’s eyes, that 
the ladies might not not get a glimpse at those wonderful 
“ orbs ” of his, and took him on to the next street, when I 
let him off, with the injunction to stick to it, and give me 
a good report.” I had told him to use his money for rides 
in the omnibuses or cars, if necessary, and I would pay 
him ; and this seemed to make him still prouder. 

I felt that that boy, whose name was Giuseppi Molinaro, 
— or what would be plain Joseph Miller, in English, — 
would do his duty. The wares in his basket, which I held, 
were worth considerable more than two dollars, and I was 
sure he would come back to me, and that he had too much 
pride to come back with a poor report;-' and I went on to 
27th Street, and fortunately identified my man there. Had 
I sent up word by the driver, as at first I thought to do, 
the fellow would have been let go, an(J would have soon 
been in Connecticut, beyond our reach. A search, which 
revealed a peculiar scar on his left thigh, the result of a 
successful combat with a couple of officers years before, 
revealed the villanous bank robber and wily scoundrel 
in the general way, beyond question, and notwithstanding 


272 


THE YOUNG DETECTIVE. 


he almost made me believe, by his protestations of inno- 
cence in spite of my fine memory of forms and countenances, 
that I had not known him eight years before. He, being prop- 
erly taken care of, I returned to my home, thinking that 
the boy might come there in the night, as he did, and with 
an excellent report. The little fellow had followed instruc- 
tions to the letter, and I indulged him in a detailed nar- 
rative of his exploits, which he gave with all the spirit 
of his race. The ladies had led him a long chase, but for- 
tunately they had only resorted to cars and omnibusses, 
had not taken hacks, and he had managed to keep them in 
sight ; and, to cut the matter short, he had tracked the lady 
in the peculiar silk evidently to her own home. 

I may properly stop here to say that Giuseppi’s experi- 
ence that day gave him such impulse in the way of a de- 
tective’s life that he finally became an officer, and is to-day 
one of the most efficient young men in his calling to be 
found anywhere in this or any other country. Indeed, he 
has become rich in his profession — a thing not usual with 
detectives. 

I had half suspected that these over-dressed ladies might 
be traced into a house of ill-fame, — not that they looked 
altogether like prostitutes of the most respectable ” class, 
but there was enough in appearance to warrant a sus- 
picion, — and I had rather dreaded such a result of affairs, 
because such people are so facile in the expedients of 
lying, etc., that if that which the lady wore were indeed 
the very dress-pattern stolen from the store, it would be 
difficult to trace it into the hands of the thief. But the 
boy had followed the lady into the respectable quarter of 
19th Street, near 8th Avenue, and I felt at loss. I wanted 
him to stay, and go with me early in the morning to the 
place, but he could not. He said his father might punish 
him, although he brought home five dollars and should tell 
him his story. So I went home with him, and told his 
parents, — he interpreting in parts, — what the boy had 
done, and what I wanted. Mr. Molinaro was a very re- 


IN MEMORY OF SARAH CROGAN 


273 


spectable looking man, and followed the business of an 
engraver on wood, as well as that of a lithographer also, 
and I took such an interest in the family as in time brought 
the boy quite exclusively under my charge. 

Giuseppi returned home with me, and very early the next 
morning, before but a very few in the city were stirring, 
he and I had taken notes of the house in 19th Street. It was 
an easy matter, some two hours thereafter, to learn from 
the nearest grocery-man, and a druggist in the vicinity, the 
name and character of the occupants of the house in ques- 
tion, and before two days had passed I had seen Mr. Wil- 
liam Bruce, — said to be an operator in Wall Street, — the 
gentleman who occupied the place, enter and depart twice 
from that house, and had recognized in him an old acquaint- 
ance. But I had not possession of facts enough to warrant 
my making complaint against him, and so I proceeded to 
Mr. Redding^s to burnish my memory as to the kind of 
articles which had been stolen from the store, keeping the 
secret of my special desire from Mr. Redding. His part- 
ner, together with the faithful clerk, Mr. Phillips, had gone 
to Cincinnati, to settle with some house which had just 
failed, owing them quite an amount, and would not be back 
under two days or so, and I had not the advantage of Mr. 
Phillips's assistance in instructing me in what style of 
goods had been taken ; but I got as good descriptions from 
Mr. Redding as he could give me, and the next morning 
found me at the house on 19th Street, properly arrayed, 
with tools and all, in the character of a servant of the 
Croton Water Board, wishing to examine all the pipes, 
faucets, etc., in the house. 

Sarah Crogan, as she gave me her name, — a buxom, 
laughing Irish girl, — heard my story, and let me in. I 
told her to tell the mistress that I should be up stairs after 
examining matters in the basement ; when she informed me 
that her master, Mr. Bruce, had gone off travelling some- 
where, and tliat her mistress went off tlie afternoon before, 
to spend the night with a lady friend, — perhaps the one 


18 


274 


FLIRTING WITH SARAH. 


with whom I had seen her in the horse-car, — so I took 
things easy ; and with a good deal of joking and merry- 
making with Sarah, managed to go all over the house, and 
flattered Sarah with showing me a great deal of her mis- 
tress’s wardrobe, which was splendid indeed. (I confess I 
thought of it with some degree of envy, when I reflected 
what poor dresses, in comparison, a certain handsome and 
honest woman, who was the mother of my own dear chil- 
dren, was obliged to get along with.) And better than all, 
I identifled, on some unmade-up dress-patterns, two of what 
I took to be, and what proved to be, of the peculiar cards 
which Mr. Eedding’s house attached to its goods, with secret 
cost-marks in ink. I had no difficulty in securing these 
without exciting Sarah’s suspicion, and having made all the 
research I cared to, left the house, not without, however, 
taking a cosy lunch with Sarah in the basement, and flatter- 
ing her, to such a degree, with the hope of future attentions 
from me, that she agreed not to say anything about the 
pipe-repairer’s having been there. Finding a pair of scis- 
sors in Mrs. Bruce’s bedroom, I had made a few sly clip- 
pings from some of the unrnade-up ♦ goods, and encounter- 
ing the peculiar silk dress, hanging in a large closet with a 
dozen more of other styles, 1 had jokingly shut myself in, 
in a frolicsome way, with Sarah, long enough to make a 
clipping from a broad hem in the inside of a sleeve of the 
dress. I felt quite satisfied that Sarah would say nothing 
of the Scotchman’s having been there, for I assumed the 
rffie of a Scotchman with her, which was by no means a 
bad dodge, as Sarah was a North-of-Ireland lass, and no 
Catholic. 

Duly in another garb, I Tvas at Mr. Redding’s, and told 
him my story. I "took him into his private office, and told 
him to be perfectly reticent, — to say nothing to anybody, 
not even to his partner, or to his faithful clerk, Mr. Phillips, 
when they should have returned, until I should see him 
again ; “ for,” said I, the thief was one of your old clerks, 
and Mr. Phillips’s heart is so kindly and soft, and he evi- 
22 * 


MRS. BRUCE'S SURPRISE. 


275 


dently thinks so much of the man, and will be so overcome 
with astonishment, that his sympathies may become aroused 
to the extent of interceding for him, or giving him a timely 
hint to ‘ clear out/ ” 

Mr. Redding could not comprehend this, but promised to 
obey me, upon my saying to him that it was better always 
that there should be just as few to keep a secret as possi- 
ble, however tried and trusted any might be. 

I knew that I should have to take things by storm, so, 
accompanying myself with a policeman, in the proper badge . 
and dress, I called on Mrs. Bruce the next day, and send- 
ing for her, she came to the parlor, when I told her that I 
had business with her husband, and asked where I could 
find him. She produced the card of William Bruce, 
Dealer in Stocks, etc., 64 Wall Street,” from a little pile in a 
basket near at hand, which I took, and rising, thanked her, 
and started for the door, as if about departing, my friend 
doing the same ; but reaching the door, I closed it. A slight 
pallor had been discernible upon Mrs. Bruce’s face, on her 
entry into the room, evidently caused by the sight of a 
policeman, and it deepened as I closed the door, and 
said, — 

Mrs. Bruce, I am here with my friend, as an officer of 
the law, to search your house. Your husband is not what 
his card purports here, as you well know, but he is a 
clerk in the employ of” — (naming Mr. Redding’s house), — 
and is a thief. The most of your splendid wardrobe, 
which I had the pleasure of inspecting in your absence 
day before yesterday, is the result of his thefts ; and I am 
here prepared to take possession of it — preferring to do 
so quietly rather than make any noise in the neighbor- 
hood. I do not suppose that you have a guilty knowledge 
of his crimes. He probably does not tell you of them, — 
and I have no desire to do you any harm, or him either, — 
but the firm must have back their property, or as much as 
they can get ; and as I see you possess a great deal of rich 


276 


THE GOODS TAKEN. 


jewelry, I shall ask you to put the most of that into my 
hands till your husband can settle with the firm/^ 

She was perfectly stupefied through all this ; declared 
that she had no belief that Mr. Bruce was any other man 
than he pretended to her to be ; said she had had letters 
from his sisters living in Pennsylvania, and that she be- 
lieved he was an honest man, and would gladly give up to 
officers of the law anything in her possession, if it could 
help him, to do so. 

The upshot of the matter was, that several large trunks 
left that house that day, filled with rare goods and wares, 
and under the charge of the Mayor’s clerk (for I had ar- 
ranged it with her that she might name anybody to take 
charge of the goods). Sarah helped pack the trunks, and 
rendered us^great aid, all unconscious that I was the pipe- 
repairer, her quasi-loYQVy — until just as I was leaving, 
catching her alone, I whispered something in her ear, which 
brought her astoundedly to her senses. She clasped my 
hand with a convulsive squeeze,” and looked unutterably 
into my eyes, quite as tragically as a fashionable lover, with 
her heart just a little broken for the twentieth time might 
have done, and said Silence ! ” in response to my utterance 
of the same word. 

The goods were taken to a proper place of deposit, and 
Mr. Redding was sent for, and succeeded in identifying 
some of them as surely having been in his store, — the un- 
made-up ones in particular, — and a peculiar shawl, of great 
value, only three of which his house had imported, and he 
knew where the other two had been sold. Mr. Redding 
was very anxious to have me proceed at once to unmask 
the clerk ; but I told him that I preferred to await, for some 
reasons, till the return of his partner, and that just as soon 
as he returned I wished him to send me word, and a car- 
riage to take me, and say nothing at all to his partner till I 
arrived. Two days elapsed and the message came. I was 
fortunately at home, and took the carriage instantly, and 
was off for the house. I found that the partner and Mr. 


A TELLING** ANNOUNCEMENT. 


277 


Phillips had returned but an hour before from a very suc^ 
cessful trip to Cincinnati, and Mr. Redding and they were 
in the counting-room congratulating themselves on their 
success. 

“ Well, Mr. Redding,’^ said I, “ I suppose it is time to tell 
you my story. I am ready — 

‘‘ Stop,^’ said he ; “ and turning to his partner and Mr. 
Phillips, he said, “ IVe some good news to tell you, also. 
Our friend here has been successful at last, and discovered 
the thief, and weVe got back many of the goods. Go on, 
and tell us the story, for I don’t know yet myself who the 
thief is.” 

The partner and Mr. Phillips looked in wonder into our 
and each other’s eyes, and simultaneously said, Yes, yes, 
let’s hear ; and first,” said Mr. Phillips, “ let us hear the 
scoundrel’s name, if you have it, and then the rest of the 
story.” 

Ah, yes, sir,” said I, that the point first. His name, 
Mr. Phillips, is ‘ William Bruce, dealer in stocks, etc.’ (so 
his card says), ‘ 64 Wall Street.’ ” 

Mr. Redding and the paidner looked confused at the an- 
nouncement (for I had told Mr. Redding that it was an 
old clerk ” of his), and Mr. Phillips, for a second, looked 
confused for another reason, whicli confusion was somewhat 
deepened, when I turned directly upon him, and said, — 

But Mr. Bruce has an alias, another name, and that is 
Mr. Charles Phillips; and you, sir, are the scoundrel you 
inquired for ! ” 

Phillips turned pale as a ghost, and tried to say some- 
thing, but his voice failed. 

Mr. Phillips,” said I, the house in 19th Street has de- 
livered up its treasures. They are all in my possession, 
together with your mistress’s pearls, diamonds, and watches, 
and everything valuable which she, as your wife,’ would 
permit me and the officer to take, and you are now my 
prisoner, without the slightest possibility, on your part, of 
escape from the full penalties of the law ; and now I propose 


278 


A SAINTLY CLASS-LEADER. 


to send a carriage at once for ‘ Mrs. Bruce.’ She, 1 am 
sure, don’t know of your guilt, and would be happy to 
encounter her returned husband here in the person of Mr. 
Charles Phillips, the time-old, confidential clerk of this 
house.” 

Phillips reached out his hands imploringly to me, and 
begged that 1 would not send for Mrs. Bruce,” — said he 
was justly caught, and was ready to confess all, without 
our going to the trouble of a trial, and then commenced 
crying like a girl — hysterically. 

The astonishment of Mr. Redding and his partner can 
better be imagined, perhaps, than portrayed here. I never 
saw such a change come over a man as that which Mr. 
Redding evinced. All his old strength seemed to come 
back to him at once. He was inflexible and severe. He 
said but few words, and these always to the purpose. His 
disgust for Phillips was'something sublime. 0, you pious 
hypocrite ! ” said he ; you d — est of all ^ whited sepul- 
chres ’ that ever disgraced our common humanity ! I am 
more angry that I have been so deceived by your pious 
villany, than for all the anxiety and sickness you have 
brought upon me. But, in your own pious cant, as you 
have meted it to others, ^ so shall it be meted unto you,’ 
you thief, libertine, and saintly class-leader I ” 

Mr. Redding’s partner, on the other hand, was differently 
affected. He cried, and said to Phillips, 0, Charles Phil- 
lips, how could you ? I know you must have had dreadful 
temptations. It was all that woman : she spurred you on.” 

Phillips was silent for a moment ; and I, who believed 
the woman innocent of any knowledge of his crimes, waited 
anxiously to hear what he would say in reply ; and the hard- 
ened man had the magnanimity to not shield himself behind 
the woman, but said, 0, no ; she knows nothing of my 
guilt. She has not prompted me to it directly, but it was 
to support and to please her that I, without her knowl- 
edge, pursued my career of crime. I am the wickedest 
< whited sepulchre,’ as Mr. Redding calls me, that ever 




THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. - A thief, libertine, and saintly class leader 








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281 


walked Broadway, ol* disgraced the inside of a church. 
But I have got my punishment, in part, now, and I am 
ready, if you demand it, to suffer the penalties of the law ; 
but for my wife’s and children’s sake, I could wish that I 
could compromise with you, and go away from New York 
forever.” (His family resided in Brooklyn.) 

To cut the tale short, I will only add, that Mr. Redding 
unbent, in the course of a day or two, sufficiently to let 
Phillips off, on his promise to go at once to Noav Orlea^^, 
where he had relations, and never show his face again in 
New York. 

The goods were returned — made and unmade dresses, 
and all ; and the jewelry amounted to nearly enough to 
cover the best estimate of the losses which we could make. 
Phillips made a full confession of how he did things. He 
was sly and wily, and easily abstracted such goods as he 
desired, and doing them up himself, sent them off by the 
porter, when sending out other packages. One of the por- 
ters remembered to have gone many times with packages 
for Mr. or Mrs. William Bruce ; and he also, he said, sent 
packages to various hotels, to impossible names, and marked 
on the corner, “ To be called for ; ” and being able to de- 
scribe the goods, if any query arose as to the propriety of 
giving the package to him, always succeeded in getting 
it. It was thus he managed. 

The house, at my suggestion, very generously furnished 
Mrs. Bruce with three months’ support, out of compliment 
to her giving up the goods without resistance, and in order 
to give her time to turn about and find something to do ; 
for, though unmarried, by legal formula, to Phillips, as Mr. 
Bruce, she supposed herself his legal wife under the laws 
of the State, and was by no means a bad woman. Indeed, 
she was a good woman af heart ; and after in vain trying to 
get together a little private school, as the widow of William 
Bruce, — for she insisted on being called Mrs. Bruce, — 
she turned to dressmaking, and did very well ; and being 
a fine-looking, indeed, a showy woman, succeeded, in the 


3 


282 SARAH ONCE AGAIN. 


course of two years after Phillipses flight, in winning the 
affections of a much older man than Phillips, but a wealthy 
and honest one ; and was duly, and this time, with much 
ceremony, married. 

1 did not meet Sarah Grogan again for over five years 
from the time I last saw her at 19th Sti*eet ; but she had 
not forgotten the Croton Water Company’s man. She had 
married meanwhile ; but she vowed that it came “ nare 
breakin’ her heart, so it did,” when she discovered that the 

bould officer of the law ” was her sweetheart of a day or 
two before, and had but “thricked” her into letting him go 
all over the house, like a wild rover I ” 




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